Fan Mail

Fan Mail from Sean Christensen on Vimeo.

This video reminds me of my weird habit of saying that I'm gonna write people fan letters, and then I never do. I don't think I ever have... OH WAIT. I wrote Michael Phelps a fan letter. I wish I photocopied that shit, its probably pretty funny. And just to clear things up, I've been a HUGE Michael Phelps fan since his debut in the 2004 Summer Olympics. I was 14 at the time, and I got on a swim team right away in hopes of becoming an Olympic swimmer and meeting him (or something). Anyways I did NOT write this letter when I was 14 and I no longer swim on a team or anything, I did the team thing for a year or so. Anyways, right before the 2008 Summer Olympics my feelings about swimming and Michael Phelps came swarming back. I decided I needed to write him a letter before the Olympics started. So I did, this means I was 18. HAHA. I'm sure this letter was cheesy, and I was thinking about the same things Sean Christensen brings up in his film. Oh well. I asked for a signature at the end of my letter, and I waited, and waited for a long time. Then one day, last Fall (2009) I got a text from my mom telling me a got a letter in the mail from Michael Phelps. I was beyond stoked, I was at some dinner with my friends and I got so excited I almost cried (I'm such a weirdo). Anyways eventually when I made it home, I opened the letter and I received a generic letter and a post card size photo with a printed signature. Sad. I still love Michael Phelps, but I was kind of disappointed.

One of the fan letters I said I was going to send but never did was going to be to Hal Fishman from KTLA news. I seriously said this FOR YEARS. Every time my parents watched the 10pm news I would tell my parents I was going to send him a fan letter. I was going to write to him to inform of how intelligent I thought he was and how he should run for president because he seemed to know everything, and had a legit solution to the world's biggest problems. Sadly, I never got the opportunity to send this letter because he died in 2007. Which is why I decided to send Michael Phelps my fan mail in 2008. And seriously, I would nominate Hal Fishman to be president of the world. He was so great.

Dear LOVELINE with Mike and Dr. Drew,

actually let me readdress this letter/rant/complaint:

Dear Dumb Bitches who call in to Loveline,
Why must you all complain about not being able to orgasm during sex?! I rarely listen to Loveline, the only time I hear it is when I am driving home from work late at night or for some random reason am driving at night time. But let me tell you 5 out of the 6 times I have listened to Loveline I hear some "DB" complain about not being able to orgasm, and how she feels its ruining her relationship. THEN, I always get to listen to Mike and Dr. Drew explain "You know its very common that woman can't orgasm from just penetration alone, there must be clitoris stimulation." I HAVE HEARD THIS OVER AND OVER. So now I will ask you DBs WHY ON EARTH DO YOU CALL IN WITH OUT LISTENING TO THE FUCKING SHOW?! You must've heard it AT LEAST ONCE! AND I GUARANTEE YOU HEARD SOME OTHER DB COMPLAIN ABOUT THE SAME PROBLEM YOU HAVE. I swear, I'm under the impression that Loveline requires at least one woman to call in per night to complain about orgasm. Another point I would like to make, is HOW DO YOU WOMEN NOT KNOW THE ANSWER TO YOUR ORGASM PROBLEM?! COME ON. I MEAN, SERIOUSLY YOU ARE MAKING US LOOK BAD. And here is another question I have for you, why are you calling Loveline a talk show hosted by MEN for the answer to your body problems. YOU ARE DUMB. AND TO QUOTE ANTOINE DODSON "YOU ARE REALLY DUMB, FO'REAL". Get a new question, I'm sick of hearing the same thing over and over am losing faith in the female race as a result of this radio show.

Love,
Paulina


P.S. If you peeps have no idea what I'm talking about: http://www.lovelineshow.com/

Willow Smith is a BAD ASS

She's 9 and probably cooler than I will ever be.
I wish I was just cool enough to be in the music video, the toddler is even cooler than me.
I can't wait to see what other music/fashion choices flow from this young lady.

FAV FILM STILLS

So I'm a huge nerd when it comes to film stills, I follow a blog where people post film stills that they've captured on their computer. I love how each still is packed with loads of meaning and emotion whether the viewer has seen the film or not. I've always been interested in the phrase "that photo looks like a film still" (because I am interested in photography also) this is usually a compliment, and it must be because the images are so loaded. I've done my own captures of two films so far (I will post later) But I thought I would post my favorite images/captures that others have done.

Enjoy!

(100 points to whoever can name all the movies)

Rhino, Unicorn, Lover, Slave?

This is reason number 3 for why it would rule to date a unicorn.

Although, I'm not sure why they chose the relationship to be one of dating because I'm not so sure if this relationship would last due to the fact the unicorn is a bit treated like a slave, or a slightly abused pet. But then again, I'm sure many of us can think of couples where the relationship has one too many similarities to this unicorn/human affinity (some more metaphoric than others) Eh, who am I to judge, I would love to date a unicorn.

Check out the rest of the 9 reasons it would rule to date a unicorn: http://mingle2.com/dating/unicorn

Tribute to Salvador Dali

This is brilliant, I wish I thought of it.

This is also fabulous:

thanks to my friend Nikki who showed my this video :)

Scopophilia, Narcissism, and Chat Roulette

(Just a heads up this blog entry was for my Contemporary Cultural Theory class, so some of the terms and such may be odd because they are specific to what we discussed in class)

Laura Mulvey discusses voyeuristic viewing pleasures in her article “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema”. Mulvey also goes into detail about scopophilia, which encompasses the pleasure in looking and the pleasure in being looked at, and of the misrecognition that occurs between the (male) spectator and the protagonist (scopophilia in its narcissistic aspect). I would like to discuss the evolution of “the long love affair/despair between image and self-image” (Mulvey 18) with the constantly changing world of technology many people now watch films and movies on their computer, so a computer now becomes a form of the cinema screen. Also in today’s society many people have video cameras built into their computers for programs such as skype, ichat and the newest “video chat” sensation: chat roulette. Which leads to spectators becoming the actual subject on the screen and a whole new level of scopophilia and voyeuristic pleasures.

For anyone who does not know what Chat Roulette is, it is a website where one can video chat with someone random, and you can constantly change the person you are chatting with by “next”ing them. Chat Roulette is also notoriously known for being a place where (mainly) men expose themselves and masturbate while video chatting with their random partner, this is the example I will be discussing in further detail. The entire video chatting experience relies on a scopophiliac element, you are watching a person in their personal environment but you are also given the narcissistic element of being able to see yourself in the same window. I believe many people who go on Chat Roulette tend to forget the person in which they are watching/chatting with is an actual physical human being. The use of the screen is too familiar to the viewing of films, so the misrecognition occurring here is the opposite than the one Mulvey discusses. The other (on the computer screen), whom a person chats with becomes an object and maybe even a victim. The males that masturbate on Chat Roulette becomes in a sense what Mulvey calls a Peeping Tom: “fixated into a perversion, producing obsessive voyeurs … whose only sexual satisfaction can come from watching in an active controlling sense, an objectified other.” (17)

This whole idea of exposing oneself on the computer screen, also relates to Linda William’s essay “Film Bodies”. Williams explains “gross” genres pornography, horror, and the women’s film and discusses their sadistic and/or masochistic appeals to the spectator. If we were to evaluate male genital exposure on Chat Roulette in the same way William’s evaluated the film genres the person who exposes himself on the screen would be a sadomasochistic spectator. This is because the viewer identifies with the image on the screen (because it is in fact himself) and this exposure is in a sense humiliating, but he receives pleasure in the humiliation, why else would he be doing it? It is also in a more abstract sense sadistic because the sight of the man’s genitals is surprising and humiliating for the other spectator on the other side. The other spectator becomes a victim who must look at the man exposing himself (at least for a couple seconds until they can click “next”), but the other spectator is also a voyeur because everyone who goes on Chat Roulette in some sense is a voyeur.

I think this Chat Roulette example also relates to the film Peeping Tom (Powell 1960). In the final scene of the movie Mark finally reveals the full weapon attached to his film camera he has been using to kill the women. It is a mirror that reflects so that the victim can see their own fear and watch their own death. In the end he kills himself the way he has killed his victims. The Chat Roulette example is similar because the computer screen is the spectator’s mirror and their film device because they not only see themselves but they also see their “victims” reactions and that is where the pleasure comes from. Williams explains “fetishes instead of genitals, looking instead of touching” (Williams 6) which clearly describes Mark’s scopophilia in Peeping Tom, but in the Chat Roulette example I would re-appropriate the quote to be “fetishes and genitals, looking and touching.”

Here is a gross/funny blog of a girl who does screen captures of her on Chat Roulette with people who expose themselves. Warning: Contains nudity. http://chatroulettepricks.tumblr.com/

Food vs. Me

For a lover of food I wonder why I'm not more interested in cooking.

Well, let me explain. I love food and when I say I love food I mean it. I could eat all day everyday and I'm really not too picky. I love fancy five star food and even the (not so) guilty pleasure fast food chains McDonalds and Taco Bell. I also love all genres of food, mexican, thai, chinese, japanese, cajun, bbq, american, italian, german, danish, southern comfort, EVERYTHING. (using the word genre has given me a new idea for a new blog entry) and I love meat (I actually wrote this about myself in a biography when I was in first grade... nothing has changed). Anyways, back to my point I would love to cook good food, but I've been let down by my cooking too many times to trust myself anymore.
The worst thing that could ever happen is slaving away for hours (or minutes) on a meal and thinking about it while you're making it and then when you are finally done cooking it turns out tasting bad or not how you expect it.

Just to give you an idea of the level I have stooped to I'm currently eating dinner which happens to be:
some frozen chipotle chicken skewers from trader joes which have been sitting in the freezer for probably 6 months, but they were surprisingly decent until I noticed some white stuff on them, I'm sure its just chicken goo but I can't eat it anymore
Irish black tea with sugar and soy milk
aaaaaand probably some yogurt or something cause I'm not full but I don't want to touch the chicken anymore

Here's another example of a dinner I have recently eaten:
a can of chicken noodle soup, 4 nights in a row!

I think I've hit the lowest low for food lovers, and I think I will strategically plan meals before I head to the grocery store next and I will make something great... AND IF I DON'T I guess I will be doomed to eat shitty food for all of eternity or become broke from going out to eat or find friends who want to cook for me.

By the way if anyone is actually reading this and would like to give me easy/yummy recipes please do so :)

I'm currently studying for my italian final which I have tomorrow while listening to Led Zeppelin. The end.

Concerts and Such

It's an exciting night in apartment D5. Paige, Giulia and I are sitting around being "productive". Listening to silly music and not doing homework. I should probably speak for myself though, Paige may be doing actual school work.

I am writing to share with the world the concerts I have found that are occurring in the Southern California area this summer:

There is the Summer Slaughter Tour featuring Decapitated, The Faceless, All Shall Perish, The Red Chord, Veil Of Maya, Cephalic Carnage, Decrepit Birth, Carnifex, Animals As Leaders, and Vital Remains in West Hollywood. (Please take a good read over the names of the bands. I think the tour title is VERY appropriate. I have not heard of any of these bands)

There is the Scream It Like You Mean It Tour featuring Silverstein with Emery, I Set My Friends On Fire, Dance Gavin Dance, and Ivoryline (I actually have heard of two of the bands, I assume they are all the scream-o emo-ish scene)

LIMP BIZKIT is playing with ICE CUBE. (who knew they still toured?!) They are playing in Irvine, Verizon Wireless Ampitheater.

Backstreet Boys are playing in Universal City (Is it bad that I kind of want to go?)

Taking Back Sunday (Middle School flashback anyone?!?!) is playing at the Wiltern in LA.

Also playing at the Wiltern THE PSYCHEDELIC FURS and SHE WANTS REVENGE will be playing. (I really want to go to this)

Billy Idol is playing in LA in August

And to finish off the summer we got Jonas Brothers + Demi Lovato in Irvine, ha ha ha... Funny thing is their show is the same night as MUSE's show in Anaheim. (I find this hilarious). Will you end your summer with the Jonas Brothers or MUSE?