Current Events: 5/27

Here are the three articles that I chose (that you sent me). There will be a quiz at the start of class on Wednesday and a two paragraph response is due before 1:00 pm. You are not allowed to respond to your own article.

ESPN in 3D courtesy of Mr. Troutman.

What did you do when you were 13? This kid climbed Mt. Everest (thanks, Mr. Shodi)

More google! (Thanks for the great article, Ms. Myers)

Current Events: Create your own current events

Final Episode of LOST is tonight!

Since the semester is winding down, it is time for you to choose your own articles for our "current events" post. Here is what I need from you:

• Each of you are to "comment" on this post one article (similar to the other articles that I have posted all semester) and a two paragraph response to the article. This will be due Tuesday at the start of class and is worth 25 points.

• I will post the four articles that I liked the best, and you will be responsible for writing a another two paragraph response on an article that is not your own. This will be due Wednesday by the start of class and is worth 15 points.

• You will have the final current events quiz of the year on Wednesday-- and as usual, it is worth 20 points.

Current Events: 5/18/2010

Currents events quiz will be on Tuesday-- be sure to post a comment by then!

Love Glee? See them live!

Robin Hood is getting some good press-- like this article here.

There hasn't been much press about the Tennessee floods. Here is an article about the Grand Ole Opry

Current Events: May 11th

I like the Tuesday quiz/posting. How about we stick with it until the end of the year?

Green Day on Broadway? American Idiot has a new format.

I am Number Four will have some ties to the area. Check it out here and here (be sure to read BOTH articles!)

Maybe it is just my paternal instincts kicking in, but this documentary looks to be interesting. Here is a link to the trailer.

Current Events: 5/4/2010

Due to prom and other adventures, your comments and quiz will not be due until the start of Tuesday's class.

Anchorman 2? I wish.

Here is a longer interview with Mel Brooks-- an American Comedy Legend.

This is more of a "visual article" but I think that it could facilitate some discussion. It is about sequels that are better than the original!

Current Events: April 27

D'OH! I had a very busy Sunday and forgot to update my blog. The posting and quiz will now both be Tuesday. If you are reading this on Sunday, you might as well get it out of the way!

I know you guys are sick of me posting about 3D, but can 3D make you sick?

This is a long article (and important to what we talked about in class). Due to the fact that it is so long, we will only have two article this week!

Current Events: April 19th

Here are the currents events articles for this week. Please remember to post a two paragraph response to one of the articles before class. There will be a quiz on Monday!

Playstation is releasing a controller to compete with the Wii.

This is an interesting article about Conan O'Brien- a glimpse into his personal life.

Wiz Khalifa is in the news. I think this short article really hits on the future of the music industry.

Here is a very short article about an upcoming movie that I am very excited about...

Current Events: 4/12/10

Here are the current events readings for this week. As usual, there will be a quiz on Monday and you must post a two paragraph response about the article by the start of class.

Treme is a new show on HBO. It has received rave reviews and looks to be very interesting.

Iron Man 2 will be released soon. According to this article, it might be extremely high grossing!

This is a long article about 3-D technology and how it is changing theaters as we know it.

Current Events: 4/5/2010

Here are this week's current events articles. There will be a quiz and you must post a comment by the start of class Tuesday.

This article discusses the attempt to reclaim the "family sitcom"- it even mentions Nate's favorite show- Full House .

Sick of waiting for Glee? This article is about the long breaks that many shows take between the fall premier and their spring premier.

The iPad was released on Saturday. I didn't get one, but my friend Evan did. It was estimated that Apple sold 650,000 iPads just on Saturday. This article explains why this could be a world-changing product.

Current Events: Not happening!

Sorry for the late update. I spent my entire sunday packing. It is 9pm and the first time that I have had a chance to use the internet since early this morning.

There is no current events this week. If you feel like finding an interesting article and sending it to me, I will give you up to 5 bonus points.

Sorry!

Mr. Cullen

Current Events: Oscars Night!

Ladies and gentlemen- we have been working up to tonight for a week. Instead of posting current events, I would like each of you to post a 2 paragraph response to anything relating to the Academy Award presentation. This paragraph could be why you are surprised a film won, commenting on their acceptance speech, or anything for that matter. You could even comment on the red carpet, how well the hosts did-- I really want you to be creative.

If you are unable to watch the broadcast, you can go here for information/updates.

Current Events: February 21, 2010

I hope that all of you had a relaxing weekend. Here are the current events articles for this week. As usual, please post a comment to the blog and be prepared for a quiz on Monday.

Disney is changing their policy on what types of movies they are funding.

Here is another article about a Disney movie- the upcoming Alice in Wonderland.

Since we seem to have a Disney theme going on, here is the trailer to a documentary that will soon be released about Disney's animation studio from 1984-1994.

Current Events: February 14. 2010

First and foremost, I would like to wish all of you a Happy Valentine's day! Due to the fact that we did not meet at all last week (I have had enough snow for 2010!), I doubt that many of you will be checking the blog Sunday- and be ready for a quiz Monday. Your quiz and posting on this update will be due Tuesday (2.16.2010).

The new Harry Potter? Percy Jackson is gaining some attention...

Very sad news for fans of Deadliest Catch.

NBC paid a lot of money for Olympic coverage. Will they make their money back?

Current Events: 1/31/2010

Here are the current events for this week. Please let me know if you have any questions!

Restoring films from almost 100 years ago is no easy task. Here is an article about old Charlie Chaplin films.

The Cultural Experience Club is going to see In the Heights on Tuesday. This is an interesting article about the production.

Lost premiers this week. I am a huge fan of the show-- and it is worth seeing. Here is an interesting article about the upcoming season.

Current Events: 1/26

Here are the articles for our current events posting/quiz. Please follow the instructions below the picture of Admiral Ackbar.

Avatar is on its way to becoming...

Jersey Shore doesn't seem to be going away...

This is an older article- but is relevant because of the recent "death" of our favorite pirate Johnny Depp. [here is an article about Depp's car accident this week]

Mass Media: Semester II

I would like to take this opportunity to welcome all of my new students to my blog. The blog is an important part of the class because it allows me to give you relevant and timely information regarding this course.

On each Sunday this semester I will post links to articles, videos or other types of media. You are to read/watch/listen to ALL of the links posted. Our class discussions on Monday will be based around these links.

In addition to completing the above tasks, you will also be required to comment on the week's blog post. This comment must be at least 2 paragraphs and be a response to ONE of the articles. Commenting on each week's post is worth 15 points.

Sometimes I will give quizzes on the blog to make sure that you are reading all of the items that are posted. These quizzes will be more frequent at the start of the semester in order to get you in the habit of reading all of the articles. You will be allowed to use a piece of paper with 20 words on it during the quiz. These quizzes are worth 20 points.

Bonus:

If you send me an article that I end up using on the current week's post, I will give you bonus points.

Current Events: 1/9/2010

This will be the final current events post of the first semester. There will not be a quiz- but you will receive points from posting a 2 paragraph response.

Here is an article about the consumer electronic show (CES) that was happening last week. It is about E-readers.

This is another article that I thought was interesting from the show.

Since I seemed to have a theme this week-- here is an interesting video.

this just in: NBC is done with 10pm Jay Leno!

Last Current Events Entry of the Decade!

In order for you to know more about the Writer's Guild of America strike, I am posting a link to the wikipedia page relating to the strike. While I found 4 articles to post about the strike, I found that the wikipedia article had more useful information that the article.

You DO NOT need to read the entire article-- it is long. Instead of reading the entire thing, please read the following Sections:

1. Issues in the strike

4. Effect on television

5. Response

Please post a 2 paragraph response illustrating demonstrating knowledge obtained from the reading. Because there will not be a quiz, this blog post is worth 25 points.

Here is an interesting video from the writing staff of the office during the strike.

Mass Media: The Triumphant Return of Current Events 12/13/2009

Ahh...it has been too long since we have done a current events blog post. In order to receive full credit, you must post to the blog by the start of class on Tuesday (12/15) . There will be a quiz on Tuesday and you can use a 3x5 notecard with 20 words on it.

Invictus is getting a lot of press-- I hope to see it sometime this week.

I am not sure about Avatar. I just hope the story is as good as the special effects look.

E-Readers are all the rage this holiday season. Are they worth it?

Say it ain't so Oprah!!

Here is an update about an article that I posted last week. If you post to this entry, I will give you up to 5 bonus points (must be done by 5pm on Friday 11/20).

Oprah to end show in 2011