The American Obession with Hollywood

I was trying to come up with a blog topic so I went to Foxnews.com to get an idea. I scrolled down the page and something caught my eye. I noticed that about sixty percent of the top stories and side stories were about celebrities.

I would not put Fox News in the same category as E! Hollywood News by any means, but they are reporting the same stories. Fox News covers everything from international business affairs to the war but is still posting numerous stories about Hollywood gossip as “Breaking News.” The term “breaking news” has lost all of its meaning. Every new story seems to be “breaking.”

How does Paris Hilton’s sex tape have any degree of importance compared to a bomb in Time Square? I find this to be a serious deterioration of American society. Shows like TMZ are fueling the American curiosity and obsession with Hollywood celebrities who really aren’t very interesting. Celebrities date, get married, have children, get divorced, and have affairs like many other Americans yet are the focus of teenagers and house moms alike.

The American public has not only created a culture of idolizing the rich and famous but try to live vicariously through them. It’s like Fox News and CNN are reporting all of the boring stuff like wars, epidemics, and suicide bombers, until the next celebrity dies and when they do headlines automatically switch focus:

“Michael Jackson’s car sold for millions to Madonna!”
“Just In, Day 47 and Michael is indeed still Dead!”
“Day 94, Michael Jackson’s body is STILL not doing the Moon Walk”

What is so enthralling about celebrity affairs? I believe either Americans do earnestly worship celebrities or the national media has contrived the entire obsession adding more and more Hollywood gossip shows every season.

What do you guys think? Any comments or ideas on why America is obsessed?

Benefits of Sophomores Required to Live on Campus?

A few weeks ago, I found out that by the time I graduate in 2013 (…well hopefully by then), all sophomores will be required to live on campus. A couple things came to mind of how that will change the community around me. More dorms? More Police? Higher demand in Umphrey-Lee? All of the questions I think are pretty legitimate.

I know at Vanderbilt University students are required to live on campus for all four years. All of my Vandy friends love it too commenting that it keeps everybody together, and it’s easier to meet younger and older students. That all sounds great to me, but how is SMU going to handle another class of students on campus?

Umphrey-Lee will probably have to expand to handle more students at all meals of the day, and heaven forbid we will hire more police.

Then I thought maybe this is a blessing in disguise for many on-campus organizations like IFC and Panhellenic. With sophomores required to live on-campus, it might enthuse more students to join the Greek system for a place to live that isn’t a dormitory with friends and still be on campus. Existing chapters could benefit in many ways. Houses would need to be much more livable and more money from a bigger member population could make renovations possible. We might even see some new fraternity and sorority chapters’ spring up that used to be on campus like Alpha Tau Omega (ATO) and Kappa Delta (KD).

I hope that this sophomore on-campus rule has all the effects that could make SMU a stronger community, but I’ll have to wait and see. Any other ideas or comments on how SMU might be affected?

Working in Paradise

With the school year coming to an end many SMU students are looking for a JOB. My job search was frantic, because for one I had no idea where I wanted to work in the first place. I’m not talking about what business I mean what state or even country.

Thinking back to one of my favorite books, The Rum Diary by Hunter S. Thompson, I was inspired to look for a summer job in the Caribbean. The options in the Caribbean seemed endless with hundreds of islands to choose from, most of them having five star resorts to offer an assortment of job opportunities. The best part about it is that most islands are still British colonies so Americans don’t even need a work visa or green card. Also many expenses are cheaper in the Caribbean such as apartments and transportation.

I am simply flying to my island of choice, renting an apartment, and working at a resort as a waiter and beach service. I chose the island of Grand Cayman which had more options than most as far as resorts are concerned. Tourists who visit the Grand Cayman range from Americans to English and even Italians.

What really surprised me about the job search was that most managers were excited to get a phone call from an interested American. One manager said that I was much more qualified for the job than some of his current workers because guests would be more comfortable interacting with an American college student than one of the natives.

Though I haven’t started yet, I would suggest trying the same thing. You don’t have to necessarily go far, but I was motivated to get away from the nest for the summer. Any comments or interests in doing the same thing one summer?

Who Needs Summer? Kickoff is Around the Corner

As the school year is coming to a close, I’ve been thinking about what to look forward to next year on campus?

The first thing that came to mind is Boulevarding in the fall.

Members of the SMU Unbridled, The Second Century Program reported that this last season was the birth of a new era in SMU football. With a $500,000.00 dollar donation within a three day period of accepting an invitation to the Hawaii Bowl, SMU has brought the alumni back.

No longer will SMU be considered the team similar to the Southwestern Louisiana State Mud Dogs before the waterboy showed up. SMU football games and especially tailgating have a bright horizon. The funding received after the Hawaii Bowl bid is bringing eager speculations of the how alumni game day attendance and donations will increase with the football record.

Students have even more to look forward too. Though some days on the Boulevard hit some of us too hard, this upcoming year we will have six games broadcasted on national television. Our TCU rivalry game will be played at home. And we can say all that and not worry about taking too seriously like Texas students might. With a bigger football program SMU will be an even greater place in the fall for students.

Basically, when it comes to college football our reputation is expanding faster than the universe. As Bobby Buchea would say, “That’s some high quality H2O.” Comments on what might be better about the upcoming year?

Starvation at Umphrey-Lee

As many of you know, First-Year students are required to have a SMU meal plan for both semesters. Personally, I do not like Umphrey-Lee as my main source of food. Though it offers many options like pizza, salad, pasta, and hamburgers, time and time again, I can’t find something to put on my plate. I feel like I would have more luck with a bow ‘n arrow in the woods.

When it comes to the food itself, it boils down to its quality. Using lots of butter and Salt are used to bland the taste of food. If you’ve had the mashed potatoes you know what I am talking about. The “home line” is usually the victim of poor quality food and bad cooking techniques. From frying everything, to making something and then throwing an Italian or Asian name on it though the dish has no origin to that country.

So how has Umphrey-Lee affected my eating habits?

Number one, I just don’t eat there as much anymore, unless I am satisfied with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Number two, forcing me to spend twice as much money whether it is Hughes-Trigg or off-campus. In other words Umphrey-Lee is charging me for meals there, and I am paying to eat off-campus to get a good meal. Does anyone else have this issue?

Where to go for fun in the sun?

Why are so many people heading out of the country for the break? After asking some of my friends I got a couple reasons. High drinking age promotes college students to go abroad for Spring Break vacations. Someone else was as bold to say that he would rather be, "Arrested where they don't have police records." I was surprised to learn of how many of my friends were leaving to U.S. border for Spring Break.

SMU’s Daily Campus reported in a recent pole that 18% of participants are staying in Dallas, 32% are going home, 27% are traveling within the U.S., and 23% are traveling outside of the U.S.

Personally, I am going to Florida to do some damage myself and I can see that going to Florida has downsides compared to Mexico or the Bahamas. I went to Florida last year and didn’t have any encounters with police but their presence was known. Factors like a higher drinking age, stricter cops are enough to send young Americans to less secure destinations that lack American luxuries like lower crime rates, safer hotels, and cheaper traveling fees.

So is it worth it to escape Uncle Sam for break?

Who Dat?

I enjoyed one of America’s most acclaimed festivals over the weekend. Mardi Gras sets its own standard as a festival. The amount of community participation and tourists was impressive.

Staying with some friends in Metairie which is an old New Orleans’ neighborhood, I had a much different experience than my friends staying downtown in a hotel. While they were next to Bourbon Street sulking in the sketchy crowds, I enjoyed a beautiful part of town. But the side of New Orleans I enjoyed was much different.

Watching parades that stretched two miles long in Uptown was awesome. Nice crowds and pretty Southern homes lined the parade route as ragtime Jazz blared from the passing floats. The Uptown bars catered to the college students instead of the middle-aged burnouts that are found on Bourbon. So why does the commercial image of Mardi Gras portray Bourbon Street and the French Quarter as the face of the festival?

It is a one of kind place I will admit. Nudity and blackout drunks are tolerated by the police force and shattered whiskey bottles fill the street’s gutters. But is this really the American ideal of a great time? People get just as drunk at the bars and house-parties of Uptown as they do in the French Quarter, but the American media loves to publicize the gross low-life alternative of Mardi Gras.

I don’t know who to blame for this whether it be the general public or the media. Regardless, I found Mardi Gras and the city of New Orleans a city that has a historic culture which is cherished and celebrated every year by its residents and guests which is something to commend in a country that has grown to ignore much of its heritage and traditions.