14. US OF TARA SEASON 3 EPISODE 1 & 2

United States of Tara is a television comedy-drama series on SHOWTIME which was created by Diablo Cody and stars Toni Collette whom is an amazing actress. It is about a woman named Tara Gregson a wife and mother of two children who was diagnosed with dissociative identity disorder. In other words she has multiple personalities. This show has become very popular because of all its controversial aspects to the show (homosexual characters, mentally unstable characters etc). In season 3 episodes 1 & 2 Tara's daughter Kate decides to go to Japan to teach english until the recent devastation that happened; the earthquake. After both episodes before the credits roll there is a note that says how you can donate to the Japan earthquake relief. The show brought light to its viewers the severity of the earthquake and promoted a relief fund that we can donate to. This relates to the key concept media have social and political implications because the show incorporated the devastation in Japan into the plot to show the viewers that Japan needs our help.

13. GIVE A WAY OUT - UNITED WAY COMMERCIAL

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGIFi94G8fE

United Way has a campaign called "Give a Way Out." A while back I had come across one of their commercials involving this campaign and it had really pulled at my heartstrings and I'm sure it made others feel the same way as I. In the commercial there is a homeless man sitting on the ground helpless and in bad shape. He rips his skin open and out comes a new him, all cleaned up and in a job uniform. At the end of the commercial it says "what you are really giving is a way out," meaning that all the donations go towards helping those in need get a better life. I think United Way's campaign is selfless and is a great way for us to help others. There campaign is directed to not only homeless people but youths who need help also. This relates to the key concept media have social and political implications because it is opening up society's eyes to see that people around us do need our help.



12. DRUGS NOT 4 ME COMMERCIAL

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5zDhngIzF0

While watching tv on the MTV channel I came across this commercial which is about a teenage girl who gets into drugs and eventually loses control of her life. Throughout the commercial there is no talking but a catchy song that goes "1,2 kicked out of school, 3,4 snort some more, 5,6 need my fix, 7,8 feels too late." While watching it I was disgusted after seeing how she looked after the drugs hit her and I also think it gives a good message. However, I feel adults target teens too often when it comes to drugs because they seem to think we are the only ones who do drugs and think most of us are heavily into it. This relates to the key concept media as a construction of reality because they make it seem like all teens are into drugs and they air it on a channel that mainly teenagers/young adults watch.

11. AXE ANGEL COMMERCIAL

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qskcmabLuQ

Axe cologne and body spray for men has recently come out with a new campaign and string of advertisements to endorse the new product Axe Excite. The logo for this certain product is "Even Angels Will Fall." When I first watched the commercial I was expecting it to be a Victoria's Secret ad until the ending when it had showed the actual axe product. The setting of the commercial is in Italy which I find quite elegant of a choice compared to other axe commercials which take place in North America. I really like the European feel they put in the commercial and I find it interesting how they chose a country whose religion is Catholicism since they incorporated angels into it, putting a religious dynamic to it. This relates to the key concept media construct reality because the commercial makes it seem so real when the angels fall having bystanders start praying in italian and even have tears in their eyes.

10. WAVIN' FLAG - K'NAAN

The song Wavin' Flag by K'Naan has become one of the most inspritational songs of 2010/2011. He released it in August 2009 and it quickly became a favourite for many. It was shortly after re-made by an ad hoc supergroup of Canadian artists credited as Young Artists For Haiti which became a charity single. It also was chosen as Coca-Cola's promotional anthem song for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. This song inspires many people to succeed whether they be struggling in Haiti or representing their country. This song is a symbol of hope for everyone and I believe K'Naan did an amazing job in making others realize that we are all one. This relates to the key concept the media contain ideological and value messages becasue the lyrics in the song inpire and bring hope to those in need; "when I get older, I will be stronger they'll call me freedom just like a wavin' flag."

9. BRIDESMAIDS

I watched Bridesmaids starring Kristen Wiig, a fresh and new face amongst the comedic stars in Hollywood. It's about a girl named Annie and her experiences as maid of honour for her best friend Lilian. By the looks of the movie poster you instantly think chick flick. When I watched it tears were falling down not only from my face but also a male who was sitting beside me from laughter. This movie is not a chick flick in fact it is simply a human flick. This is by far the best comedy movie I have ever seen that will make anyone from any gender, race, religion etc die of laughter. The creators hit the nail on the head by creating the perfect comedy for everyone mature to enjoy. The acting was funny and enjoyable, not cheesy and annoying like other comedy movies. This relates to the key concept media have social and political implications because this movie made a breakthrough in society by finding a common ground for both males and females to agree on something they can laugh about.  

8. PARANORMAL ACTIVITY

I watched this movie not knowing what to expect; all I had heard about it was that it was horrifying. The movie is shot in documentary form but not until after watching it did I find out it was a mockumentary. It is about a couple who live together, and Katie, the girlfriend is being followed by a demon and they both experience tremendous supernatural activity. The way the movie was put together made it seem so real because in the beginning it did not show any production companies and at the end there was no credits. They only credited the families of the deceased (the couple in the movie). After watching this movie, I could not sleep for days because thinking about it gave me the chills and had me really scared. This relates to the key concept media construct reality because the creator of the movie did not advertise this movie much as they had wanted the viewers to believe it was a real documentary. They constructed this movie so well that their original anticipation of only having a few screenings of the movie for one week turned out to be many viewings for multiple weeks after the great reviews.