Dancing With the Stars -- TV

This is a very popular TV show about dance competition. The abc network organizes the show dancing with the stars. They invite the B or C list celebrities to compete on the show. The abc network arranged dance instructors to teach them how to dance as a team in a very short time. Some stars are actors who dance will, but some stars do not, so it is hard for them. The show is aired live on TV by seasons. Each couple wears different beautiful outfits that match their dance. They follow the music and have a perfect dance. Whenever I watch this show, I am very excited to follow each of the couple's steps and anxiously wait for the result. My emotions follow the show’s nonstop rise and fall. I feel they have a lot of fun. While I feel very happy watching the show, the time goes by too fast. I know this show is very popular because I hear a lot of people talk about it.

Glog

 http://www.glogster.com/htong/myglogster

This link is to my group Glog on the side. My group mates and I interviewed some people about what they think pop culture and high culture to be, and which one they prefer to follow. Most people would rather follow pop culture. They say “pop culture is part of our life and it around us all the time.” Also, we took some pictures that can be representative of pop culture and high culture. Such as newspapers, TV stations, Marilyn Monroe’s statue. These all can be representative of pop culture. For example, the TV station is a window which spreads culture easily. Because TV spreads pop culture easily, people prefer to be influenced by music, movies, and fashion by watching TV. We also have some pictures that can representative of high culture. Such as Chicago’s modern architecture and the art in millennium park which is the bean.  Many visitors and architects like to visit Chicago’s buildings and arts. Chicago is modern and young city in the U.S. Therefore it is a part of high culture.

My iPhone -- Technology

I think I can’t live without my iPhone because it is very important in my life. For example, if I go out without my iPhone, I feel lost. It is a smartphone and a type of a mini netbook. It makes my life very convenient. In the morning I wake up to the alarm clock on my phone, and then use the phone to start my daily work. I can read news, check email, weather, traffic, and listen to music, etc. It helps me a lot with my studies. For example, I need to read a lot of papers and there are too many vocabulary words that hard for me to understand, but I can check the words in my iPhone and I quickly get the point.  It is very small, so it is easy to take care of. I think the iPhone is one of the greatest creations in the world.

The King' Speech -- Movies

This story is about how King George VI treats his stammering, according to British history. It is based on a true story. This is a biographical film and the movie’s setting is in London, England. Colin Firth plays the King George VI, and he has a severe stammer. Geoffrey Rush plays Lionel Logue, he treats King George’s stammer. Colin Firth won the 83rd best actor annual Academy Award. I like this movie in general because is a very good story. Also, the movie is very influential. The main actor is through his hard work, training, and continuous progress very persevering.

This review is from AZCENTRAL website by Bill Goodykoontz. He said: “the director, actors, sound, picture, script, and plot all are perfect.” I agree with the review. The director is very good because he has a great ability of organization. So the movie’s effect is perfect. In the movie, the actors are important. They can influence the whole movie, so they have great influence because they won the Oscar Award. The music matches the story because we can follow the sound of the music to know the plots change. Also, the picture is great, too. Because the movie takes variety of cinematography, we have the prefect vision effect. This is a good script, so every plot is very lively, and it can grab my attention every moment. This is a good movie and wealthy to watch.

Music

My favorite song is “Don’t Know Why”. The song attracts my attention every time I hear it. It makes me relax. This is a jazz song by Norah Jones, who wrote and sings it. Norah Jones is my favorite artist. She has great talent and a sweet voice. She won consecutive Down Beat student music awards in 1996 and 1997 as "best jazz singer". Jazz is my favorite type of music because I enjoy this kind of music. Jazz origins are in Africa folk songs. In less than a century of time, Jazz music became a remarkable characteristic of American music out of obscurity. Now, Jazz music is listened to and played in nearly every corner of the world.  

I Want to be Miss America -- Reading

This story about Julia’s family, new immigrants are from the Dominican Republic to USA. In the country, her three sisters and she want to look like they belong to America. They looked in magazines and TV shows, they also studied from their classmates.  They studied a lot, but finally she knew they would never be the American girl. They are curly haired and used a strong foundation to tone down their olive skin these were just the appearance. They are foreigners, so they already have acquired their habits from the place they came from.  This is my best reading for this semester because I’m an immigrant. I can understand Julia and her sisters’ condition. I think some people are so motivated not to express their differences with others, and they are too simple to fit in a new country. They don’t want others to look them differently. They hope everyone is same, and people will easily to accept them. Furthermore, some people just like Julia and her sisters live in a new country and want to completely fit in with their new life.

Cultural Identity -- Xi'an

Shadow Puppets made from donkey skins, carved into puppet form that, under the light, people control their bodies’ movement. It is our country’s widespread, folk puppet show.

Farmer paintings are very popular. Most farmers paint on their own and for self-appreciation of their lives. It is with a colorful art that farmers paint for the old city of Xi’an and put on a colorful coat.

Pop Culture

the U.S. because America has a lot of pop culture that influences our lives every day. Like music, movies, and fashion, these things are popular culture.  For example when I came to America, I watched a lot of Academy Awards winning and nominated movies because my friends always talk about which movies are interesting. Also, they like to use the language from the movies.  If you didn’t watch that movie, you will not understand what they are talking about. In addition, there are many other things that have influenced me, too, such as Apple’s products. Sometimes, I was blind to follow the pop culture because I just wanted to see how good it is.

I have become aware that popular culture is important to study since taking this class because everybody is influenced by it. If you live in America, you must need your social life. That means you should know what happened around your life. In America, people are listening, watching, and talking all around popular culture. If you want to fit in, you should understand what’s going on.