AMNH

I was more excited to visit this museum with my class than the library, because, well...it's a museum. However, due to train traffic, I showed up 65 minutes late...I didn't see anybody from my class. I did see a really large globe with smaller globes around it. I thinkit represented the planets compared to the Sun. Only it didn't look like a sun, it was just a simple but solid structure. And also because inside was a theater so it probably looked cooler and more detailed from the inside. I don't know for sure because the entrance was closed as well as other sections of the museum.

Thats what that reminds me of - cancelled television shows. A lot of special tour in the museum were closed or about to be closed within the next hour or two. Like television, sometimes tv shows just get cancelled for no reason - news or sports and other crap. I didn't care, but there were TONS of children there - it was almost packed. I think I was the oldest student, there until I Ron... Well, Ron left, I walked around for a while, then quickly got bored. I did, however, bought some desk mats - 4 of them - the ones that I used to have when I was a kid so it was sort of a "throwback" or nostalgic feeling or whatever you call it. I also took some pictures of dinosaurs......then left.

New York Performing Arts Library

I was sort of excited to be somewhere else besides the classroom, like being with the class in the city. Well, that is until we entered the library. As I followed the class into the place, I thought I might see something worth taking pictures of, that's why I brought my camera. However...there was nothing exciting, only books. Books of old russian music notes was on the second floor, so was books on motion pictures, which is the only thing there that I found interesting. So interesting, that I took my time to open the book and read it. It was cool. I didn't even go past that floor or the next one, within the hour I just left with some of my fellow classmates and walked around the city. That was fun. The one thing that I didn't see was books on television, or specifically, late night television. (I just want to mention that next Monday, June 1, 2009, will be Conan O'Brien's first day as the tonight show. I watched some behind the scenes web videos, and they are as funny as I hoped it to be) That could have really helped with my final project. Oh well, I'll just google it.

A Vision Of Students Today

I think the main argument in the viseo is that technology isn't always helpful, but instead causes students to be lazier compared to students in the 19th century. As some of the message shown by students on loose leaf paper or laptops like the the one that says that they bring their laptop to class but does not do any class work or doing all assignments on Facebook - it makes them look to dependent on technology. Plus, the scene at the end of the video where the teacher is using an actual blackboard instead of a computer, has to move around to write a message. Isn't that better for everyone?

S1M0NE

About this movie...its kind of corny. However, it does have an interesting plot - a man creates a virtual actress, fool everybody into thinking she's real, decides it's getting out of hand and tries to delete the program...and gets arrested. Hey. The funny thing about it is that audiences go batshit over her, a complete obsession, no matter how purposely crappy her movies are, like "I Am Pig" What the hell? Anyway, it was funny because it reminded me of today's society where everyone is blind from what's really going on - the truth. What is the truth , I don't know, I'm sure other in our class do.

Research Project

I am really interested in watching late-night television and the associated talk shows on the local networks; CBS - David Letterman, Craig Ferguson; NBC - Jay Leno, Conan O'Brien (the best), Jimmy Fallon (the worst); FOX - Spike Feresten, an unknown writer who worked as a writer for the shows "Saturday Night Live", "The Simpsons", "Seinfeld", "Late Night/Show with David Letterman" and "Space Ghost Coast To Coast" - a parody cartoon talk show; ABC - Jimmy Kimmel. These are the entire talk show host on network television. Comedy Central, a cable channel, has a talk show with Jon Stewart, "The Daily Show", and after him comes on "The Colbert Report", starring Stephan Colbert, a correspondent for Jon Stewart until he had his own spin-off.
I want to talk about the different sections of late night programming like Letterman, Leno, Conan, and Kimmel. The first part is the monologue, a stand-up routine where the host talks about currents events and makes jokes about it. After the monologue, the host walks to his desk and continues to talk about some current events but also perform a comedy skit with some of the shows performers and writers. The skit may or may not have to do with current events, but it usually does. Then, after the comedy act, two separate celebrity guest come out for an interview in front of cameras and a live audience (which I've been in three times on Late Night with Conan O'Brien). Sometimes the first guest would stay for the second interview, but most of the time they leave, probably due to tight schedules. On Conan's show, sometimes there would be a comedy skit in between interviews or during them, the latter seems to be the funniest. When all the celebrity guests have been interviewed, a musical group performs, of any band that the either the host or the producers chooses, and is usually a current band. Sometimes the group leader of the band would come to the hosts’ desk and sit down next to it for a brief interview before the end of the show. This is the standard procedure all late -night television programming, however, each show varies in how they present them, with different writers and performers and with a different host, each show is different. Most of the time, issues discussed in interviews have to do with current events, the hosts’ stand up monologue, and the celebrity guest sometimes only appear on the show to promote their new movie that they’re in or trying to sell something. Musical guests are common, but sometimes, instead of a music group or solo act, there is a stand-up comedian, usually an unknown. Less commonly, instead of celebrity guest, they could be a cook or a chef, or an animal trainer, bringing live (sometimes dangerous) animals. It always provides entertainment.

The Uncanny

Sigmund Freud descibes "uncanny" as somrthing that is familiar but different. This kind of feeling causes something called "cognitive dissonance" where you have two paradoxical feeling about a oject, idea, or a person. A very interesting subject. A good example of "uncanny" would be if my dad, who has facial hair (mustache and trimmed beard) suddenly shaved everything, his mustache included, it would be a very strange feeling for me because I have NEVER seen my dad without a mustache, exect in pictures when he was in high school, and I haven't seen him without a half-beard in over ten years. If I were to see now, without any facial hair, he would look a very different person, even though I've known him all my life. It would be a very uncanny experience.

Open Your Eyes

This is a little late but, I watched, or, we, the class watched Open Your Eyes, a spanish film remade as Vanilla Sky, starring Tom Cruise. As a film, I enjoyed it, it was interesting and engaging, and made me think about certain themes that was discussed in class...because Jason us to. Themes that I found that were similar to other films were Questionable Reality (ok, I made it up, but it sounds legitamite), where the main guy seems to be living in two different worlds, which makes us more confused, but interested. I'd write more but I can't think of anything, sorry.

103 Research Project

I'm thinking of doing something on late-night television. It has to be something about media, and I think this is a fair topic, although I'm not sure if it is specific enough. One particular show or a section of that one show, like the monologues, might more specific. Every late night host starts the show with the monologue where they talk about current events. Another idea I have is how comedians in media portray the news. The final decision may or may not be the same as what I just wrote.

Star Trek: The Next Generation / Farscape

Star Trek: The Next Generation was just one of the dozens of shows that I watched when I was younger during the day time. It was one of the "adult" shows that I liked. I don't remember much of what I saw, exect the opening theme which is forever imprinted in my brain due to mutiple viewings, but from that episode "The Royale" which I saw in Jason's class, I think i remember why I kept on watching. That episode is probably one of the most interesting "sci-fi" epeisode I have ever seen. (This is coming from a guy watches too much tv, however I try to use my tv knowledge to my advantage, if that's possible). In this Star Trek episode, Riker, Worf, and Data are transported to an alien planet where it's almost completly black with a greenish cloud above, yet they are completely visible, and in front of them is a revolving door. Very strange...but interesting. They enter the door and inside is a casino/hotel where people from the 20th century are gambling, talking, and drinking. This makes thing even more confusing...because this is an alien planet...what kind of alien planet is this?? After walking around and talking to the manager, who behaves in a strange manner, they attempt to leave when... (DUN DUN DUN!)...they can't! (Every story needs a conflict). They try walking through the revolving door but they end up back inside the casino. Unable to communicate with Jean-Luc Picard, they try to walk around trying to find an exit. Attempt failed. There's no escape. Data's electronic device thingy (I forget what it's called) tells him that these people in the casino are not human. They're not?? "Are they real?", ask Riker. It turns out they are. Very strange, indeed. Things get more peculiar when hey find actually find a "real" human being upstairs in one of the rooms, only he turns out to be dead...for over 200 years. Huh? Apparently, this is all an illusion created by alien from the dead guy's memory. A memory from a book the guy read sometime before he died, possibly 100 years before? They trio then decides to act based on the novel by pretending to be "foreign businessmen" who uses to money won in the craps table, thanks to Data's computer brain, and "buys" the place. When they do, they walk out the revolving door, back to where they came and beamed back to the ship. Everyone's happy. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Royale


The next sci-fi series is called Farscape, which I believe I have watched before, and this episode, "A Human Reaction" was almost as interesting and entertaining as Star Trek. It starts with a guy talking to himself on an alien ship where he is surrounded by...aliens. As the only human on board, he gets depressed and wants to gome home sometime before his hair turns completely gray. In the command center room, where all the hi-tech stuff is and big screen tv (or something like that), the alien see a wormhole...in space...and at the end of the wormhole is planet Earth, home. Crichton decides to go through to wormhole and crash lands on a beach...where he is perfectly unharmed. Seeming overjoyed to be home, he gets an unpleasant welcome by a bunch of dudes with guns...or as he calls them, friends and co-workers. They shoot him with a tranquilizer (very effective) and put him in protective custody...or jail...a sci-fi looking jail with glass walls and a comfy bed, and a so-so friendly environment. The reason for this brute treatment is that fact that Crichton came from outer space...well he came from earth, who went to outer space, who came back...but you know how the US government gets. They're very sneaky went it comes to UFO's. The military, including Crichton's father, is unsure whether or not Crichton is an alien. To test him, they set up HUGE hoax where everything around him is from 7 months ago when he left earth, this realization causes his to freak out like a drunken manic (not really). he enters a bar room where, according to him, everthing and everyone is exactly in the same spot as where he last remembered. He remember's going into the men's bathroom...but not the women's! (what a pervert). He makes a run for, opens the door and - HOLY CRAP - it's a giant bright electric-like glow, like a portal or a barrier where everything beyond it is non-existant. (wow, so that's what a ladies room look like). Oh, and his father turns out to be fake creature filled with red goo, and his fellow alien friend didn't get all sliced up and die in the surgery room...it was all an illusion to test Crichton to see if he would react in a way only a human can react. I didn't get to watch the ending but I am very interested to seeing it.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Human_Reaction

Watching these two episode, I was facinated, like I became a sci-fi geek (which may be a small part of me)

The Matrix

I first saw the Matrix around ten years ago when it was really popular and, from what I read, groundbreaking. My parents rented it from the video store and I watched it with them. There were sections of the film where I didn't understand what was going on, but there is one line from the movie that has always got stuck in my head, the scene where Morpheous explains to Neo that he's "living in a dream world". That line made me understood what the basic point of the whole movie was, and the fact that it is something can relate to, with my daydreaming and all. After watching the film, I thought to myself a lot about the whole concept of a reality that is not what it seems, and I, as well as many other people, asked myself what if we are all living in a illusion. It is almost mind-boggling, however I believe that every physical object is real because it feels real, so how can it not? Maybe some of the characters in the film has thought about that. Maybe they everything around them was real too. I think that is what made the Matrix so popular among critics, it is a very thought-provoking concept, one that philosophers have been explaining to people centuries ago. The one thing that sort of confused me at first is what Morpheous meant when he said, "This is your last chance. After this, there is no turning back. You take the blue pill - the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill - you stay in Wonderland and I show you how deep the rabbit-hole goes", I thought staying in "Wonderland" would be like going back home, until I thought about it further. Seeing "how deep the rabbit-hole is" made me understand it more.

I am a Cyborg

When I think of a cyborg, I think of a robot from the future, like the Terminator. A cyborg can be defined as a person dependant on technology, and I can describe myself as that kind of person. First of all, I watch television all the time, even when there is nothing interesting on, but somehow I manage to find something and become interested, even without cable. Computers are another essential part of me because I can’t go less than a couple of hours on it, even with the television on, but thanks to You Tube, I watch television less than I did before. Plus, my iPod never leaves the house without me, or vice-versa. Very often I would take long walks around my neighborhood just to listen to it longer. Also, another device that I sometimes urgently depend on is my cell phone. You never know when you need to dial 911 or Domino’s Pizza, or both. Text messaging is a primary for me because four of my family members are hard of hearing so texting is the only way of communicating with them when we’re not together. Another technology that is part of me is my Nintendo games. I don’t have a lot of them but I have very fond memories of them, which sometimes results in me having bizarre but interesting dreams, usually a distorted version of a particular video game that I have been thinking about at that time. Finally, for my 20th birthday, I got something that I wanted for some while, a camera. I use it often. Capturing moments on film and pictures is something I look forward to in having a career.

Conan replaces Leno

When Johnny Carson retired from the Tonight Show in 1992, many people thought David Letterman would take over for him, as he was very good friends with him, but Jay Leno got the job as the host. From what I hear, Letterman was bitterly disappointed. In 1993, Letterman then left his show Late Night with David Lettermnan, a show he created in 1982 which came on right after Johnny Carson, at NBC to start his new CBS show Late Show which comes on at 11:35pm, the same time Jay Leno's show starts. The network then had to look for a replacement host for Late Night. Lorne Michaels, the creater of Saturday Night Live, found an unknown writer named Conan O'Brien, who wrote for shows like The Simpsons and SNL, and gave him the job as the new host in 1993. Since he was rushed in, ratings have been poor for his first few years but then increased and gained a following (like me). After 16 years of hosting Late Night with Conan O'Brien, his contract required him to end his reign of Late Night for the Tonight Show which Jay Leno will be hosting until the end of May. The person replacing Conan will be Jimmy Fallon, a SNL alum. The thing that fans mentions about the replacement is that Conan, who replaced Letteman, will be new host of the Tonight Show - the job Letterman wanted. I, for one , am excited for Conan being the new host, and the fact that Andy Richter, his former sidekick who left his show in 2000, will return as the announcer. I can't wait...

About Chris

My name is Chris Corrigan, born and raised in Woodside, Queens. I am part Irish on my father's side and part german on my mother's side. My german side is responsible for my height of 6'2" or 6'3" which makes me the tallest in my family (that I live with), just a inch taller than my mom who is slightly over six feet. I have two older sisters, one goes to Queens College and the other, Hunter College. I also have a mentally handicapped younger brother who was born a few months early and almost completely deaf. In fact, my dad and I are the only one out of six of my family members who has good hearing, my sisters started to gradualy lose their hearing, one is much worse than the other. They all have their interests, as for me, I loved movies for a long as I can remember. I think I was five years old when I saw "Dumb and Dumber" in the movie theaters, it came out in 1994 so I think I was 5. I can't remember much at that time, but I do remember wanting to go to the video store all the time to rent it. After that, I would watch every movie with Jim Carrey that I knew about, including "Liar Liar", where he plays a lawyer who, because of his son's birthday wish, cannot lie for a whole day, and gets him comical trouble. It might be similar to his recent movie "Yes Man", where he cannot say "no", only he could if he wanted. Now that I'm older, I'm into more professionally made films such as "There Will Be Blood", which was nominated for Best Picture last year, but didn't win, to my disappointment.I also enjoy television, one of my favorite shows is the "The Simpsons" which I have been watching for very long time, mostly because it has been on television since I was a one year old. Another favorite show of mine is "Seinfeld", which many people will agree, is funny and popular even after ten years since it ended. I enjoy some other sitcom, plus cartoons, the good ones from the 90's and late night talk shows, but my favorite show of all time (and I thought about it carefully) is "Whose Line Is It Anyway", a show where four comedians/performers act out scenes based on audiences' suggestion and previously written situations, but no script.I, like everybody, likes music, but my collection mostly consists of very heavy rock. Mainstream listeners probably never heard of bands like "Soulfly" or "Machine Head", but I tend to find them somehow.I chose to attend LaGuardia because of the Media program that they had, which beleive can be useful for getting a career in film, where I'm very interested in. Also, I live two blocks off Queens Blvd. and only takes about twenty to twenty five minutes to walk, that way, I save four dollars. More importantly, I'd like a good career