Springfield Welcomes "American Idol"

America watched as this weeks season finale of The Simpsons welcomed the judges and host of American Idol, offering a parody of the popular talent show. Simon, Randy, Ellen, Kara, and Ryan are all transformed into caricature, invading the town of Springfield, all guest-voicing as themselves. Each caricature portraying an accurate, yet hysterical impression of the crew. The episode was amusing, and offered a short relief and comedic approach to the American Idol competition, with the actual finale airing this Tuesday. Assuming this was no coincidence, The Simpsons did a great job in recreating our favorite talent show. It not only advertised another show that is apart of the Fox Network as well, but also getting the audience hyped up for this Tuesday night.

The show has always been known for its hilarious and precise parodies of the media, from television shows, movies, and music. Examples from this season and previous ones include the "Mapple" store selling MiPods, a spin off of what we know as the Apple store and iPods, and also incorporating hit songs such as Ke$ha's "Tik Tok" into the opening credits. Whatever topic that seems to be leading in the media, seems to somehow find its way to be number one in Springfield too. Parodies work. Whether people enjoy them or are offended, they still seem to bring in the audience. It widens the audience to those who may not even be Simpsons fans, but fans and followers of the show being made fun of.

">

Overall I'd say the finale was a hit, conveying accurate portrayals of personality, appearances, and behaviors, and did a fantastic job in mocking the entire Idol crew, no harm intended. It even got me pumped for the Idol finale.

Cliff Hangers..

This week is full of season finales for some of my favorite ABC dramas. Sunday night, I eagerly sat in front of my television at about 8:20pm (of course, 20 minutes after the actual TV scheduling so I could TIVO right through the commercials), as I began my night with the Desperate Housewives finale and Brothers & Sisters soon to follow. Both shows sent me messages of all kinds. Semiotics throughout, leaving me with the thought of what would happen next. I thought for sure after the last commercial break in both shows, they would reveal the answers to the messages they have been giving me throughout each show. Boy, was I wrong. After both shows ended I was left with countless amounts of questions; Are those really Gabby's girls? Who is that mysterious, yet familiar guy moving back to Wisteria Lane? And, do not even get me started on the last five minutes of Brothers & Sisters. What will be the aftermath to that horrible accident? The show left me hanging. I suppose this is just its way of gap filling, until the next seasons begin, leaving me to create story lines together in my head before then. This is just a way to keep me hooked even when episodes aren't airing regularly, and it works. Grey's Anatomy season 2 hour season finale is Thursday, and I am willing to bet the use of semiotics and gap filling will leave me wondering then as well, leaving me to anticipate the next seasons premier.

The Power of Semiotics

Mother's Day evening the entire family was over for good food and good company. Later in the evening, we all watched Disney/Pixar's UP together. While watching the movie, and after the small comment made by a class mate a few classes back, I decided that another discussion of semiotics was in order. This movie sparked my interest in other Disney/Pixar films. I noticed in practically every one I have seen, there is a small part with no words, just images and music. These little parts in the film, to me, express the largest amount of meaning and emotion. The use of semiotics in anything uses something as simple as changes in music and images to create a sense of meaning across to the audience. These Disney/Pixar films truly do a wonderful job of this. The clip shown below is a small part in the beginning of UP. While these 5 minutes offer no words or text whatsoever, it is clear what the message is. With the music and the images the viewers see, we can tell there is a love story going on. And as the characters begin aging, and going through the stages of life as a couple, the audience is able to go through it with them, feeling happy, sad, and all the emotions the clip portrays. The audience can see the youthfulness of the characters, the joy when they want a baby, the sadness when the couple realizes they cannot have a baby, the sympathy when she becomes ill, and the love they share throughout. All this is done with the signs and symbols offered throughout the clip, with the different music playing on our emotions in the background. And in actuality, this short moments with no words, only the use of semiotics, end of being the most meaningful and powerful.

That's Hot!

After last class's discussion on visuals and desirable images as talked about in Mulvey's article, I started thinking about the topic a bit more. I remember a few years ago seeing an advertisement for Carl's Jr featuring a sexy Paris Hilton to sell the company's latest burger. The ad features Paris prancing around a hot ride, sexually playing with a hose in her skimpy bikini. What exactly does this have to do with a cheeseburger? The music is "old school" sexy and seductive, and as the "climax" of the commercial arrives, everything gets hotter and louder. Throughout the minute long ad, the audience sees the burger just once. After searching on youtube.com for the ad, I found a more recent Carl's Jr. advertisement using the same technique, only with the one and only Kim Kardashian, except she is in the bedroom, seductively selling a salad for the company. What do these both have in common? These two commercials both use the idea of scopophilia. The idea that the woman is just the object, to play on the man's sexual desires. One reason the woman is used in a narrative is to just basically freeze the script quickly, so we can see her in the man's point of view, seductively moving her body. She is to be used as just a sex symbol, to be looked at as pleasurable for men. Overall these two commercials really sum up the ideas of Mulvey's points, and that woman can be portrayed as just a thing. "Now that's hot!"

Gap Filling

Merriam-Webster dictionary online defines a soap opera as a serial drama mainly characterized by "tangled interpersonal situations and melodramatic or sentimental treatment." General Hospital is an ABC daytime soap that has had me hooked since before I can even remember. When I was little, I remember my mom watching it, and when I was old enough to understand it, I became a religious viewer. From the many different story lines, the show tangles together the lives of people living in a town called Port Charles. Because I have watched the show for so long now, it seems as though I have become SO involved in the lives of the characters. I eagerly wait to get home after a long day to watch my "Tivo'd" soap, and when Friday comes around, that's the worst. The show normally ends the most dramatically that day, leaving me anxiously hanging until Monday to know what will happen next. In the time I wait for the next episode, or for a commercial break to end, I am still engaging with the show as thoughts of "what is going to happen," "will she tell the truth," etc. are filling up my head. This engagement is referred to as gap filling, which we learned in the Robert Allen article. The idea of gap filling suggests that even when the show is not being watched, text is still being constructed in the viewers mind. This is a good technique to keep the audience truly involved and engaged. So each day while I am anxiously awaiting 2pm to roll around to watch the next episode, I am using this technique to keep the story line going, even while I am not viewing it.

(Picture: Steve Burton who plays Jason Morgan on the soap and Me at a meet & greet event).