Sunday, May 3, 2009

Sport scandal books

This week i will be talking about some books that have been publish over recent years digging in to the scandals behind sports such as drugs, steroids, and personal lives of athletes. Many of these books have torn apart legacies of nearly for sure fire hall of famers such as Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez, and Olympic ex-medalist Marion Jones and many other Olympians.
One of the first major books to come on to the scene and break open our steroid scandal was written by Lance Williams and Mark Fainru-Wada and the book was called Game of Shadows. The book dug deep into the BALCO mystery with such athletes like Barry Bonds, Marion Jones, and Jose Canseco. It followed the investigation and the eventual bust of BALCO and all its clients such as the athletes listed above. It brought upon a very serious matter in our sports mainly baseball when superstar Barry Bonds was indicted and could be sentenced to jail time, but also wrecked his chances as a hall of fame player.
The newest book to come out and has been in the news recently was written by Selena Roberts. The book simply titled A-Rod follows the life of Alex Rodriguez involving this use of steriods which could have dated back to when he was in high school. It tells in-depth about his divorce of his wife and his relationship with singer Madonna.
These two books and many others just like theres have gone deep in to the lives of our superstar athletes, revealing their mistakes and making them human. I believe that is good to have our sports played clean, but also athletes are judged a much higher level when they make mistakes and it is very hard for them to keep things from our media. This can be good but also bad, although our lives would be very boring with out the inside scoop from the media!

Jake Olsen

Sunday, April 26, 2009

Twitter

One of the newer sensations of communications on the web is the site called Twitter. Twitter interconnects family and friends through short messages by answering the simple question what are you doing. It has become one of the new hot spots following in the steps of MySpace and Facebook.
Part owner of Twitter and creater of Amazaon Jeff Bezos combined with five other companies to create the 57 million dollar online information exchange. While using twitter your messages contain only 140 characters, and Twitter as around 4-5 million users around the world.
Some of the famous Twitter users contain politicians Al Gore and Hillary Clinton, athletes Lance Armstrong and Michael Phelps, actors Will Ferrell and Ashton Kutcher, and singers Taylor Swift and Dave Matthews. One of the most famous incidents i have heard of involving Twitter would be when NBA player Charlie Villanueva used Twitter to say what he was doing while in the locker room during halftime of one of his own games he was playing in. Other incidents of Tweeting have happened in the TV and movie world would be actor from the TV show Heroes Greg Grunberg tweeted about Heroes ending season three by tweeting, "tough to say goodbye to the crew not knowing if any or all of us will return next year".
I would say Twitter is quickly sweeping the internet for the new way to communicate with those around you. It will catch on very quickly with the help from the stars.

Jake Olsen

Sunday, April 12, 2009

2009 movies

My pick this week for blogging will be to look at the top grossing movies so far in the year 2009. There have been some big names such as the new Fast and Furious, the third Underworld, and surprisingly the new Hannah Montana is supposed to be one of the top sellers to come out this year.
It's an been only a few months in to the new year, but coming in at number three is He's Just Not That Into You. Starring actresses Jennifer Aniston and Scarlett Johansson, it is a story of girls trying to find love from guys that are not interested in them. I have not seen this movie yet but i have heard it was pretty good.
Coming in at number two in 2009 is Watchmen. Watchmen describes the journey of the old costumed vigilantes and their gathering together again to investigate the murderer of one of thier fallen mates. They discover a long conspiracy of the balance of power in our world. It grossed nearly 13 million more than the 3rd ranked movie. I also have not seen this movie but have heard many great things about it!
Finally coming in as the top grossing movie so far in 2009 is Paul Blart: Mall Cop. Starring Kevin James as the head of mall security he is faced with a situation of someone attemping to rob his mall. It is his job to protect the place he works. I have seen this one and i thought it was very hilarious and deserving as the top movie so far.
Others that have only been out for a few weeks are climbing up the list and could rank very high include Fast and the Furious and Friday the 13th. I have seen Fast and the Furious and i would rank it as the number one movie i have seen in 2009.

Sunday, March 8, 2009

Types of Comedy

Most of the comedy movies that are made fall under the category of one of the three types of comedies. Slapstick, Dark, and Screwball comedies are the three main genres of the comedy movie and i'll give you some definitions, and some of the more successful of each of these comedic categories.
The first type of comedy and one of the earliest styles of comedies used when making movies is called Slapstick Comedy. Slapstick is a comedy used by more physical and visual actions rather then the words or dialogue. The name Slapstick Comedy comes from the use of a "wooden stick which was used for audience applause". The violent actions are very popular and an example of this type of comedy is the cat and mouse hunt called Tom and Jerry.
The next type of comedy is Dark or Black Comedy, which is more of a verbal type of humor. Dark Comedy is shows the "absurdity, insensibility, and cruelty of the world's society". It uses the more controversial and serious topics going on in the world and pokes fun at them. It makes fun of movies around them and are sometimes parodies of serious movies. A good example of this would be the Scary Movie series that is famous for making fun of many movies and actors in the industry.
The final type of comedy is called Screwball Comedy. Screwball Comedy can be shortly described as a stupid or crazy comedy. It uses a mix of the first two types of comedy and uses a lot of "visage jokes, stupid characters, and sex conflict between characters". A lot of the new century comedies could be described as this and an actor of the screwball comedy would be Will Ferrell.
The three types of comedies have a wide variety and all of the types have had success but i would have to be a big fan of the screwball type of comedies.

Jake Olsen

Sunday, March 1, 2009

Comedy Film Directors

This week we'll take a look behind the scenes at the brains of the comedy movie operation. The directors are very important in keeping together the comedy film process. We'll look at some of the top comedy directors of all time.
Coming in at number one is Woody Allen. Woody Allen has been making movies for over forty years. Starting in the 1960's and still making movies in the 2000's, Woody has made over 35 comedy movies. Some of his more famous movies include Annie Hall, Manhattan, and Match Point.
The number two comedic director is Terry Gilliam. Just like Woody Allen, Gilliam has been making movies for more than forty years and most of his success occurred in the 1970's and 1980's when he directed the movies Time Bandits, Monty Python and the Holy grail, and Brazil. He had a successful movie in 2005 that starred Matt Damon and Heath Ledger named The Brother's Grimm.
The next director wasn't third on the list but it was a name that caught my name and i did not know he was an actor and a director. You may not recognize the name but Kevin Smith has become one of the more successful comedic directors in the last decade. Many people know him as Silent Bob from Jay and Silent Bob, but he has directed many comedic movies such as Clerks one and two, Dogma, Mallrats, and both Jay and Silent Bob's. A surprise that came to me was that he wrote and directed one of the most successful movies to come out in 2008. He directed the box office money maker Zach and Miri Make a Porno. It was pretty cool to see how successful he was as a director and an actor.

Jake Olsen

Sunday, February 22, 2009

Top grossing comedy movies

Some of the top grossing comedy movies that have came through in the last thirty years has some familiar names but also has some surprises that you may not have thought of. I only could find a list that includes from 1974 to 2004. It could be very different including the recent five years, but it is still nice to see what movies have been the most successful. The list incorporates the fact that ticket prices have changed in time and it takes the 2004 average price of $6.21.
Number one on the list is Eddie Murphy's Beverly Hills cop. The Detroit cop Eddie Murphy tracks down his friends killer that leads him to L.A. where he solves the mystery. The number one movie grossed nearly 434 million dollars. Coming in at number two is Home Alone. Macauly Caulkin stars as a young boy alone protecting his house against two bonehead thieves. The number two movie groused a little more than 413 million dollars. Rounding off the top three is the 80's comedy Tootsie. Dustin Hoffman plays a struggling actor who poses as a woman to earn a role in a soap opera. The number three movie grossed a cool 410 million dollars. Other notables on the list was Austin Powers 2 coming in at number eight and Big Daddy earning 243 million and ranking number 18.
Compared to the top ten grossing horror movies the comedy movies struggle to compete with the top 2. Jaws recorded nearly 800 million, in second the exorcist brought in 686 million, but after the top two it eases back down to only 357 million. So in comparsion the top two horror movies blowout the top two comedy but overall the comedies have a wider more successful range and comedies reign supreme!

Jake Olsen

Sunday, February 8, 2009

Animated Comedies

The new age animated comedy movies that are hitting the big screen have made a big splash for our youth and, really, can be enjoyed by people of all ages. I'm going to go through some of the more successful animated comedies that have appeared in the last decade.
In the 90's some of the most successful animated movies were made and the bests included Lion King, Toy Story, and A Bug's Life. The 2000's have came out with more of a realistic style and maybe a little more comedy than the movies of old.
A movie that has become one of the most popular is Shrek. Shrek leads you through the tale of an ogre and a donkey in the ogre's quest to regain his land for Lord Farquaad. During his journey he falls in love with Princess Fiona who also turns out to be an ogre. Shrek's actors or really the voices behinds the characters includes Mike Meyer as Shrek, Eddie Murphy as the donkey, and Cameron Diaz as Princess Fiona.
Another of the top animated movies of the decade is Monster's Inc.. Monster's Inc. shows the life in the all-monster city of Monstropolis. Inside the scare factory works two monsters, one gigantic blue and a one eyed green monster, Sully and Mike. While Sully is trying to scare as many kids as possible a young girl named Boo escapes into the factory, and the monsters go crazy. Sully must go on a wild adventure as he takes her in as his own and has to protect her from the monster world.
In 2003 one of the best animated comedies came out in the movie Finding Nemo. Finding Nemo tells you the journey of a young fish named Nemo. On Nemo's first day of school he does not listen to his father Marlin and swims off to check on a boat. He is then captured by a diver and taken into a tank in a dentists office. Marlin and his friend Dory set out to fine him and Nemo tries to plan his escape from his office and reunite with his father.
These three animated movies have made nearly as much money as some of the normal comedy movies to come out in the last decade. They great family movies and people of all ages seem to enjoy the childish comedy.

Jake Olsen

Sunday, February 1, 2009

Actors from past and present

Hey everybody I'm going this week with some of the actors that have been a part of the comedy world. From past to present I'm gonna talk about some of the most important comedic actors and some of my favorites.
I'm starting in the past with the Marx Brothers. The five brothers, Chico, Harpo, Groucho, Gummo, Zeppo, from oldest to youngest, respectively, headlined the beginning of comedy movement. The Marx Brothers crazy style was made up of an imporvised and insulting any thing the Marx Brothers thought of. There bigger movies included The Cocoanuts, Monkey Business, and Go West.
One of the next comedic actors to make a splash was Bing Cosby. Cosby was a very relaxed actor compared to the energized Marx Brothers. Cosby mainly played a "happy go-lucky fella" in his movies. He won an Oscar for the movie Going my Way and also starred in the movies The Country Girl and The bells of St. Marys.
The 1950's was highlighted by the female actress Marilyn Monroe. Marilyn performed in many types of movies and was a very successful actress. She earned many awards in the numerous movies she starred in, and one of those included the adult comedy movie Some Like It Hot, where she won a Golden Globe for best actress in a comedy.
If we fast forward to the 80's it include a jam packed decade of great comedic actors such as Steve Martin, Chevy chase and my favorite from this decade Bill Murray. He starred in many movies in the 80's including Meatballs, Stripes, and my favorite of his movies Caddyshack, where he played a golf course greenskeeper trying to kill a gopher.
The 2000's is the decade where i would know most about comedy and i would have to say that thee top actor has to be Will Ferrell. He has made some of the most successful comedy movies in the past 10 years. There could be a long list i could make of his movies but i will narrow it down to my favorite three which would be Old School, Step Brothers, and Talledaga Nights. He has won several awards and has set the bar for many comedy actos to come in this new comedy World.

Jake Olsen

Sunday, January 25, 2009

History of the Comedy

The history of comedy films dates back to the early 1900's when the only movies being made were silent films. Although you may think a comedy couldn't exist without hearing words and punchlines, they were very popular with verbal actions.
When sound was introduced to movies it brought a whole new type of comedy and a new type actors. One of my favorite shows when i was a kid had to be the Three Stooges. Larry, Curly, Moe, and even sometimes Schemp provided a wacky type of comedy with Larry, Curly or Schemp taking punishment from the leader Moe.
In the 1950's it was a down time for the movie industry especially comedy. With the rise of television sets in America many viewers did not want to go out and see movies, but along with the downfall of movies the comeback would come from famous actors like Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis.
The 80's brought about some of the comedies that kids around our age would conisder classic comedies. Beverley Hills Cop, Home Alone, and Revenge of the Nerds were some of the comedies that came out in the 80's and are still watched today.
Some of the favorites growing up for me in the 90's that i remember watching many times with friends and families would include Mike Meyer's in the Austin Powers film series, also Mike Meyer in the Wayne's World series, and the number one comedy movie of all time in my opinion would be Dumb and Dumber!
The 2000's have now formed the comedy world into a different and more adult type of comedy. The comedies now have more of a mature theme to them that young and older adults understand more than elementary children. Movies such as Wedding Crashers, Step Brothers, and Pineapple Express have been some of the more successful movies in the 2000's.
Although the comedy now more of a corky and kind of different type then it was before, comedy movies are always going to be a good movie to watch with people.

Sunday, January 18, 2009

Comedy

Comedies have been providing movie watchers with laughter and entertainment for years. From some of the early comedies such as Abbott and Costello, then on to Bill Murray in Groundhog Day, Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels in Dumb and Dumber, and more recent movies like Will Ferrell in Step Brothers and Jason Segel in Forgetting Sarah Marshall. (http://digitaldreamdoor.nutsie.com/pages/movie-pages/movie_comedy.html, http://www.examiner.com/x-1982-Seattle-Film-Examiner~y2009m1d9-The-Best-Comedy-Movies-of-2008)
Comedy movies are made for all people of all ages. Elementary age children enjoy the newer animated comedy movies such as Ice Age or Open Season. High school and college students watch both the animated and more explicit comedy movies that have been made more recent. I have many friends that say some their more favorite movies to watch are the animated comedies directed towards younger ages.
I would have to say that my favorite comedy movie of all time would definitely have to be Dumb and Dumber. Although it was made when i was a child, I always find new things that make it funnier every time i watch it. Some of the newer movies are in my top ten list of comedies mainly because of actor Will Ferrell. By far he is my most favorite actor to watch in movies just because of the weird ideas he can come up with in his movies. A close second on my list to Will Ferrell has to be Seth Rogen. His newer movies he's been in like Pineapple Express, Knocked Up, and Step Brothers have been some of the funniest movies that have came out to the public in the last few years.
If one thing is for sure it's that comedies are a definite escape from stresses in life. It's something that everyone of your friends can enjoy, whether its going to a movie a theater or sitting around on the couch comedies are a good time no matter what.