... Make That 2 Coffees

ANYWAY, for COMM 224 I of course have pick a top to write about for the semester. This is a weird/goofy topic, but I wanted to do politics of superhero movies. I just find it interesting that almost every superhero movie recently has some sort of Libertarian, or least some sort Libertarian ideologies. Watchmen, Batman, and Judge Dread to name a few. Sam Raimi, the gentleman who directed Spiderman, interestingly campaign donations to several Democrats, and one to a Republican, one named George W. Bush. It's almost like he was trying to send them out in enough different ways that fans of his movies wouldn't know how to pin him down. Which brings me to another point.

Don't get me wrong, Watchmen and V for Vendetta are most likely my two favorite movies. But how come ever since the original Hellboy has every superhero movie been about some sort of anti-hero. I love anti-hero films, but it's starting to turn into some sort of reverse formula. It seems as though Hollywood can only have either have cheesy heroes "G.I. Joe," or alcoholic anti-heroes "Hancock." I miss some films like the Spiderman 1 or X-Men 1 where characters could have depth and reflect humanity without being exaggeration or robotic. Richard Roeper said the world needs a superhero support group, and I'd probably have to agree.

I'm Gonna Need Coffee in the Morning!!!!!!!

I finally got the correct Real Player download so stayed up and late (and still am up) watching Outfoxed and the CSI programs. After watching Outfoxed, and namely that terrible CSI pilot (why is everything in CSI orange and blue) it made me think of possible bad media jobs. Thinking more negatively, I started to think of deaths of popular people from the media. Heath Ledger, Brad Delp (the singer of Boston), and Michael Jackson to name a few.

In Dennis Leary's brilliantly awkward book "Why We Suck," he points out that Ron Howard and Jodie Foster are the only two child actors that managed to stay in Hollywood and stay out of major trouble. I sometimes wonder that being in the media and being mentally stable is just straight up impossible. I wonder if having a camera jammed in your face 24/7 is just too much to handle.

The positive side of me hopes that if I was in that position I'd try to make the right decisions even if it didn't work out. I just don't think I have the ability, connections, or talent (hate that word) to ever get to that point. It would be easy for me sit at home watching David Caruso and say, "I can do that!" However, I watch him when he used to be on NYPD Blue and I realize he was actually a good actor at one point so my dreams are crushed.

Looking Through A Glass Onion

In honor of the release Rock Band: The Beatles, along with a rerelease of the entire catalogue of The Beatles, I have decided to write a short think-piece on what I feel made The Beatles the greatest band ever.

To begin, I would like to state that I do believe that the Beatles are the greatest band ever. However, what exactly made them the greatest band ever? Was it talent? Creativity? Songwriting? Their Looks? Their Movies?

A great deal of critics quite often throw the word around talent like grass at Ozzfest. Well, I'm not going to sit here and tell you talent doesn't exist. However, there's another word for talent, ability. You see it when you see Randy Moss out run an entire team, or when Shaquille O'Neal catch a basketball above everyone's head. You even see it when your Mother can put her hands in extremely hot water and not get burnt. Talent is 100% physical.

Does talent exist in music? Of Course! Long fingers, for piano, strong forearms for bass guitar, fast hand coordination for electric guitar, and superior breathing skill for vocals are all talents. But do think the reason The Rolling Stone named Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band the Greatest Album of All Time was George Harrison's fingers? That seems quite unlikely to me, not to mention that Harrison's fingers were actually quite normal size. It might me be a stronger argument to propose that The Beatles had more vocal talent than the other rock bands. This is actually true. Although the Beatles had some growled rockers such as Helter Skelter and Revolution 1, Paul McCartney, John Lennon, and George Harrison not only displayed great vocal range while showcasing the ability to sing as smoothly as the Pop and R&B artists of the time. Even the weakest vocalist in the band, Ringo Starr, certainly had the ability to be a lead singer.

However, when vocal ability was a large part of The Beatles' success, it seems unlikely it was the core of their magic. For instance, one of the most impressive vocal performances by The Beatles is John Lennon's "Yer Blues." While this was song was successful, it did not reach as many people as did "With A Little Help From My Friends," a very simple McCartney-penned tune sung by Starr. So therefore, it was skill and not talent that made The Beatles the greatest band ever...well actually it wasn't that either. The Beatles definitely had acquired a degree of skill that put them up with the best. George Harrison often would play guitar so much that his fingers would actually bleed. All members of the band were multi-instrumentalists and skilled in several instruments. That was definitely a part of the magic. Not the biggest part, though.

The second biggest part (without telling you the first, yet) is songwriting. The Beatles were arguably the best composers to ever write popular music. Their compositions are creative, progressive, beautiful, edgy, catchy, and contain anything else you might want in to see or in songwriting. I sit here and continuously try to "out-art" myself with adjectives, but I'll quit that while I'm ahead. However, there five letters missing from all these elements of genius The Beatles have. Those five letters are R-I-N-G-O. Yet, the truth is, Ringo is a big part of the magic.

Think of the drum beat at the beginning of "Ticket to Ride." It's short, simple, somewhat sloppy, and not even a part of the song's composition. BUT IT ROCKS! That loud slightly early hit of the snare has been borrowed by everyone from Green Day to Coldplay. Or how about Paul McCartney's "Helter Skelter" Vocal? Is it possible to hear that song without jumping up and down? It isn't for me. And how cool was it when John Lennon used feedback intentionally at the beginning of "I Feel Fine," or when George Harrison ripped out his sitar in "Norwegian Wood"?

The Beatles weren't trying to prove themselves as some sort of virtuosos. They found ways of portraying human emotion through music. Some of those emotions we can't even describe by words. There music is just a Steven Spielberg film or Leonardi Di Vinci painting. The Beatles knew how to send any emotion satisfyingly at any time. And that is why, I believe The Beatles are the greatest band of all time.