Alex's Journal

I'm in the kinda mood where I want to dance. I want to turn on some music and run around my house in briefs Tom Cruise style. i'll have a broom in my hand, acting as both a stand-up microphone and my dance partner. I guess you could say I'm in a happy-go-lucky mood. No one is around, I'm in my own house, I am able to make a complete fool of myself. So what do I do? I go through my iPod and pick out the soundtrack to complement my wacky mood:

1. Dance, Dance, Dance - The Beach Boys (Greatest Hits Vol. 1)
2. Baby Boy - Beyonce f/ Sean Paul (Dangerously in Love)
3. Get Your Roll On - Big Tymers (I Got That Work)
4. Jim Dandy - Black Oak Arkansas (Dazed and Confused Soundtrack)
5. Hey Ma - Camron (Come Home With Me)
6. Dude Looks Like A Lady - Aerosmith (Big Ones)
7. Rewind (Thunderpuss Club Remix) - Craig David (Born to Do It)
8. Trippin Billies - Dave Matthews Band (Crash)
9. How Deep Is Your Love? - Dru Hill (Rush Hour Soundtrack)
10. Basket Case - Greenday (Dookie)
11. Rock Your Body - Justin Timberlake (Justified)
12. Back That Azz Up - Juvenile (400 Degreez)
13. Express Yourself - Madonna (The Immaculate Collection)
14. The Way You Make Me Feel - Michael Jackson (Bad)
15. Bombs Over Baghdad - Outkast (Stankonia)
16. Sussudio - Phil Collins (Serious Hits...Live!)
17. Wake Me Up Before You Go Go - Wham! (Make it Big)

I know, pretty eclectic. But I swear you'll want to dance after you listen!

Who wouldn’t want to break into some of the most extravagant and difficult security systems in the world? Who could deny the chance of never having to work again and putting your child through the college? If you ask Danny Ocean, the answer would be simple. He couldn’t pass up the opportunity to rob famous Las Vegas casinos and bring along his best friends to do it with him.

When given this assignment, it was obvious to me that the original movie, and its remake, that I would watch would be Ocean’s Eleven. Seeing as how the remake quickly became one of the movies on my top ten list and how I had never seen the original, it seemed like the perfect reason to search for the original and get a chance to watch it. After watching the original, I was pleasantly surprised. The original Ocean’s Eleven came out in 1960 with a stellar cast which could definitely be comparable to the big names in the remake version. Starring Frank Sinatra as Danny Ocean, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford, Joey Bishop, and Angie Dickinson, it was the Rat Pack’s first attempt at the screen. The 2001 remake was compiled of a star-studded cast boasting such names as George Clooney playing Mr. Ocean, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Bernie Mac, Andy Garcia, and Julia Roberts. Such big stars—such a great movie concept, too!

Read more!

As we more and more try to delve deeper into the psyche of the American media, we come closer to realizing that the political machine runs much of our lives. Whether we are talking about agenda setting theories or the Rupert Murdoch’s of this world, politics truly run our media. This can be placed upon us as an audience rather blatantly, or sometimes, very subliminally. Either way you look at it, stories surrounding politics of the United States permeate our living rooms through television news and print media. Inevitably, this past presidential election held a stronghold on the news networks and organizations here in America. It is important, however, to also pay attention to the international realm of media. By looking at the news coverage and reactions to our presidential election abroad, differences in opinion can become very apparent. In this week’s On the Media segment, “Europe, You’re Down,” Brooke Gladstone interviews United Press International’s editor in chief Martin Walker to see how our differing views on the election have caused our friends overseas to think of us Americans.

Read more!

According to this week’s On the Media, we’ve gone Poll Crazy! Well, not us, but all of the news-gathering organizations out there that have changed gears and spend a large amount of time conducting polls. Our good friend Brooke Gladstone speaks on how conflicting methodologies from the many pollsters out there give us election forecasts that can go any way you want them to. Turn on ABC tonight and Bush may be ahead forty-nine to forty-eight. But then turn on CNN right after that and Kerry may be the one who is in the lead. Who do we believe, and are these polls really showing us factual numbers that can reflect the outcome of next week’s presidential campaign? Philip J. Trounstine, director of the Survey and Policy Research Institute at San Jose State University, came to help answer that very question.

Read more!

Bob Garfield interviewed James Fallows in this week’s On the Media entitled, “How Did They Do?” James Fallows, the national correspondent for Atlantic Monthly, gave his post-debate insights on the mechanics of the presidential debates and some events surrounding it. The first thing to look at, in his opinion, is that what we saw last week were the two presidential candidates at 50 percent of their true form. After listening to the interview, it is obvious that Fallows sees Kerry as the victor in this round of debates. According to him, John Kerry was true to his own form of public performance, but was at his best that evening. This can be seen in his appearance and actions when he isn’t talking, especially. When George W. Bush is talking, Kerry was concentrating, taking notes or smiling. As many of the pre-debate analysts had said, he needed to be intense while at the same time seemingly relaxed. Fallows saw Bush, on the other hand, as the loser in this arena.

Read more!