bollywood

With our recent readings on Indian culture, film and television, I figured now would be a good time to touch on the phenomenon that is, BOLLYWOOD!
Bollywood is the name given to the Mumbai-based Hindi-language film industry in India. It unites the words Bombay and Hollywood and in doing so, is a greater symbol for the assimilation of American and Indian culture. A bollywood film is usually characterized by its elements of modern indian music and dance. Indian dance often blends with Western dance styles (like those seen on MTV music videos). The plots are often quite theatrical. The plot tends to center around "star-crossed lovers, corrupt politicians, twins separated at birth, angry parents, courtesans with hearts of gold, dramatic reversals of fortune, and convenient coincidences." Indian film is quite popular on Indian television, which creates a dynamic dyad of the success of film and television in Indian culture.

POV | Documentaries

I came across this website today and was overwhelmed by the number of documentaries which focus on issues of ethnicity and immigration. I included a trailer of one film below, filmmaker Almudena Carracdeo claims, "Made in L.A. is an intimate portrait of an all-American experience: the struggle of recent immigrants to get a foothold, to assert their voices, to say, 'I exist. And I have rights.'”

the telly

The most recent survey conducted by the Nielson Company (a marketing and media information company, specializing in data collection ) suggests that Americans watch an average of 151 hours of television every month, that's 5 hours a day! Last year the firm reported only 3.8 hours per day. So, what accounts for this increase? Are television shows getting more interesting? Are television screens becoming more and more accessible..it seems like we can watch it everywhere..from our car to our cellphones and even the Internet. Susan Bandura, director of strategy in the San Francisco branch suggests that, "the average U.S. household now contains more televisions than people, which means that family members or roommates can watch their favorite shows alone." Well, we have certainly come a long way from crowding around a single tube in the living room with friends, family and neighbors.

color-blind casting

As an extension from my last post, I came across this article from Entertainment Weekly.
Diversity: Why is TV so white?
Shondra Rhines, creator of shows like Grey's Anatomy, explains, ''Do I want to see any more shows where someone has a sassy black friend? No, because I'm nobody's sassy black friend. I just want to see shows in which people get to be people and that look like the world we live in. The world is changing, and television will have to follow."
I couldn't agree more. These television shows aren't showing enough of an equal, realistic landscape of the diversity we see in America today.

off script: from g's to gents

The Los Angeles Times reports that, "despite decades of public pressure on the major networks to diversify, the lead characters in all but a handful of prime-time scripted shows this season are still white —- and usually young and affluent. In contrast, reality programs consistently feature a broader range of people when it comes to race, age, class and sexual orientation." It supports this statement by bringing up examples from such contestant in shows like The Amazing Race, Survivor and the Biggest Loser. Nevertheless, this does always shed the most positive light on these minorities. Generally speaking, such unresolved issues surrounding race, class and sexual orientation can generate further tension and emotions, and in doing so, provides material to the show. These reality shows don't provide the most enlightening experience. Their producers aren't necessarily adding diversity in order to appear pro-social but rather to obtain better ratings and merit entertainment. Specifically, I'm reminded of reality shows such like From G's To Gents. I've included a clip for your viewing pleasure. http://www.mtv.com/videos/from-gs-to-gents-season-2-ep-1-down-n-dirty/1604291/playlist.jhtml

Frida's Stamp

For designers, stamp design is by far one of the most prestigious and memorable projects to be granted. Generally speaking, most US stamps depict America or American-related subjects. American flags, the liberty bell, native birds and flowers, the statue of liberty..these are generally the images we see on stamps. On June 21, 2001, Frida Kahlo became the first Hispanic woman to be honored on an American postage stamp. The President of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, Cecilia Alvear, responded, "as Latinos we are pleased by the U.S. Postal Service's recognition of the artistic genius of Frida Kahlo..This stamp, honoring a Mexican artist who has transcended 'la frontera' and has become an icon to Hispanics, feminists and art lovers, will be a further reminder of the continuous cultural contributions of Latinos to the United States."

color blind children

So much of what children learn is through imitation. Repeating things that are said and done on television, in movies, through books and simply from observing society. I've always felt that as long as we have thrived on earth it has been ingrained in our genetics to classify, separate and construct groups. Children, at a young age, learn to recognize difference and categorize accordingly. Keeping all of this in mind, do children develop a solid understanding of race and diversity through a combination of the media, education and their parents? I would think that children would learn how to positively or even negatively interact with different races according to their daily observations. So, I ask myself, are children really oblivious to racial difference?