Grey's Anatomy

My favorite television program would have to be Grey’s Anatomy. According to Nielson Media Research, America loves the show also. For the week of March 19th, 22,304,000 individuals tuned in. The rating was 14.4 and the share was 22.0. CSI: Las Vegas plays at the same time and day, Thursday at 9:00pm. CSI: Las Vegas is not even listed in the top ten television programs on Nielson’s top TV ratings for the week of March 19th.. However, this week (March 26th), CSI placed above Grey’s Anatomy with 10.6 rating/18 share. This information leads me to believe that whenever either Grey’s Anatomy or CSI is showing a re-run, the other show flourishes in its popularity for the night. If Grey’s Anatomy moved to a different night, I believe that the number of viewers would increase dramatically, and the rating will thus increase. This would occur because it would not be in competition with CSI: Las Vegas for primetime television on Thursday nights. However, because both CBS and ABC have popular television programs lined up for every night of the week, there would still be competition between Grey’s Anatomy and whatever was on the other channel.

Tristan + Isolde: A film to watch

Romeo and Juliet. Lancelot and Guinevere. We all know and have heard of these love stories, but Tristan + Isolde becomes a mixture of both stories to form a film for every audience. Tristan + Isolde was produced in 2006 by Ridley Scott (Gladiator). The story takes place during the Dark Ages, when a feud is at its peak between Britain and Ireland. Tristan, played by James Franco is from Britain, and after his parents are murdered by the Irish during an attack, he becomes a pseudo-son under the future King, Marke, played by Rufus Sewell. Tristan grows up under Marke and becomes an excellent fighter, but during one Irish raid, is supposedly killed. Because of his leadership qualities, he receives a king’s funeral and is put on a boat for it. Ironically, his funeral boat lands on Irish shore and is found by the King’s daughter, Isolde, played by Sophia Myles. The love story develops and takes many twists along the way.
However, the entire picture is not completely a love story. Tristan + Isolde has action packed fighting scenes, and themes of loyalty and betrayal. This film would make for a good date night because both women and men would find an interesting plot to follow. The film keeps the audience on the edge of their seat every second.
Not only is the story and characters remarkable, but the sets, costumes, and music are spectacular as well. Because the story takes place during the Dark Ages, the sets are more dreary and give the audience a sense of the time period. The building structures are amazing, and one can tell that attention was given to the details. The costumes also fit the time period very well. They represent the time period and socioeconomic status of each character individually throughout the film. Lastly, the music is memorable and appropriate for the different scenes. The song “We belong together” written by Gavin DeGraw, evokes emotion and tells of the underlying theme throughout the entire movie.
Overall, Tristan + Isolde is definitely a film to watch, particularly with the one you love. Because of the amazing story, and various other aspects of the film, I would rate it as a 9/10.

Crash Review

One of the most powerful films that I have ever seen has to be Crash. The film was released in 2005 and directed by Paul Haggis. Crash is also the winner of three Oscars, including Best Picture for 2005.
The film takes place in Los Angeles, California and tells the story of many characters of differing backgrounds, skin color, and socioeconomic statuses. The characters do not know each other, and do not realize how interconnected they truly are. This film really is an interwoven masterpiece. The story is not just told from one perspective, but many that are separate and unique. In the end, the characters, who were trying so hard to be their own individuals and live their lives, crash into each other literally and figuratively. My favorite quote from the film is, “You brush past people, people bump into you. In L.A., nobody touches you. We're always behind this metal and glass. I think we miss that touch so much, that we crash into each other, just so we can feel something”. In any big city, I feel that this statement rings true. Human contact is needed because we are social beings, and need others for our survival. In a place where everybody is out for themselves, crashing into one another is inevitable.
Not only is the story extraordinary, but the music, filming, editing, and lightening also make for a powerful piece. Take for example Bird York’s song “In the Deep” that plays towards the end of the film. While watching the powerful images and hearing a deeply moving song, chills run up and down your spine as your realize that this too could happen to you. The audience feels for the characters because they are not doing anything unordinary, but simply living their lives.
Is the film overdone though? Are the characters’ lives filled with more drama and more connected than the average Americans? I would say some what, but it is the characters’ stories that make Crash seem realistic.
I would recommend that everyone see Crash. It opens the audience’s eyes to topics that are not often discussed outside of a sociology class, including discrimination, racism, and stereotypes. Crash gets my two thumbs up and undeniably deserves it.

Philo T. Who???

Thomas Edison. Alexander Graham Bell. Philo T. Farnsworth? We all know who Edison and Bell are, but Farnsworth? Philo Farnsworth was a farm boy, a Mormon, and the inventor of the electronic television. If Farnsworth invented the television, then why is he not a well known figure in American history?

Growing up, Farnsworth had a curious mind, especially about projecting images using electrons. He dreamed of a tube that would turn a picture into electrons and then back into a picture to be displayed. Before he was 20 years-old, he was already immersed in created the first television, with economic support from local businessmen. However, during this time period, RCA (the corporation that owned rights to radio at the time) was also trying to create the first electronic television. With a major corporation competing with Farnsworth to create the first television and obtain a patent, the race was on.

When discussing the dominant and subordinate groups in the Farnsworth vs. RCA television race, it is clear that RCA was the dominant group. The corporation had money, power, and the respect from every major company. Farnsworth was subordinate because of the lack of money and support. At one point, RCA even sent a representative to Farnsworth’s laboratory in San Francisco, and copied the blueprints from Farnsworth’s work. RCA clearly took advantage of Farnsworth because they felt dominate to him. When Farnsworth finally developed the first working electronic television and got the patents, RCA offered him $100,000 for the patents but it was refused. Because the corporation had the money, they were able to make the offer and attempt to steal Farnsworth’s work.

Farnsworth eventually began to suffer from depression and alcoholism because of the stress that RCA imposed onto him. How did a gentle, farm boy become a completely different person? It was because RCA exploited him because of their dominate status. Philo Farnsworth’s story shows subordinate groups can be destroyed by dominate groups, Now we can understand why no one knows the name Philo T. Farnsworth; because he was not powerful, wealthy, or dominate enough to compete against a major corporation’s exploitation.