Who decided diamonds were a girl's best friend? And why is it that a dog is man's best friend?
Yeah, I love diamonds just as much as the next girl, but I would rather have a dog as my bff. I know we girls love our diamonds, but I think it's unfair to say that a diamond is our best friend. I mean, what does that equate women as a whole to? Your best friend is someone that knows everything about you, loves you for you, gets along with you, and probably has a lot in common with you.
So, let's see...if a diamond is a woman's best friend, that means women must be harsh, transparent, require a lot of attention, and are expensive. I don't really like that comparison.
Men are so lucky. A dog is their best friend? Their best friend reflects their loyalty, unconditional love, comfort and affection?
C'mon, people!! This is ridiculous and I frankly don't like it.
So, from now on, diamonds can be any girl's best friend, but I am not just any girl. I am a girl whose girlfriend from college is a diamond, but whose childhood best friend is a dog.
If y'all need further explanation, reference above paragraphs.
I was at Target the other day when I noticed a poster that displayed the 100 greatest movie quotes of all time. There were some that I expected...you know, "frankly my dear, I don't give a damn" and "I could have been a contender" But one that surprised me was Cher's line in Moonstruck, "snap out of it!"
Does she really get to own that one? To me, "snap out of it" is a pretty common phrase. In a way, that is like giving Mean Girls credit for "hey...what's up"
It is just weird to me that people can own credit for saying pretty normal things. Okay, so as of now, I call dibs on "you wanna grab dinner tonight?" I am making it official right now.
Without divulging my political inclinations, I want to post an argument to Oliver Stone's newest film, W. Before I say anything, please take a look at the trailer and make your own assessment of its merit.
So, do you think it's a tad unfair? I do. And I am not talking about all of the implications of Bush's legacy as president. I am talking about the film's focus on his younger years.
As you can see, W., the trailer, implies a significant amount of the movie will explore President Bush's youthful indiscretions as a drunkard and drug user. Yeah, when he was young, Bush had a drinking problem and reportedly used cocaine. But that is in his past. I am not saying drug use is at all okay in any condition, but I think it is appropriate to acknowledge the fact that he no longer uses those substances and has cleaned up his act.
People unfairly use this against Bush when they neglect to highlight others' run-ins with the law or drugs. People make mistakes when they are young. It happens. I dare Oliver Stone to come out and tell everyone he never got drunk when he was in his twenties. Come to think of it, didn't Mr. Stone encounter his own trouble when he was arrested in 1999 for drunk driving and drug possession? Don't believe me? Check out this article from CNN: http://www.cnn.com/SHOWBIZ/Movies/9907/16/oliver.stone.01/index.html. And that was 9 years ago. Stone has since cleaned up his act. Bush's drinking problems were decades ago. See the hypocrisy?
...And it's not a general hypocrisy. It is a hypocrisy geared toward Bush.
The New York Times reported that liberal presidential hopeful Barack Obama used cocaine, 'reefer', and alcohol during his younger years (
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/09/us/politics/09obama.html), but no one seems to think that will affect his level of qualification to be president. Remember when Bill Clinton famously quipped he tried marijuana but "never inhaled". Everyone thought this line was funny and not disheartening.
There is a double standard. Yes, Bush's presidency is highly controversial and I admit has not been as successful as it could have been. I get that people don't like Bush. I just encourage people to make their arguments against him based on political ideology and leadership rather than youthful skip-ups. And I further encourage critics to be sure they are not guilty of the same crime before they start pointing fingers.
One of my favorite ad campaigns is the American Express "My Life My Card" campaign. While AmEx uses a great variety of celebrities to push its product, my favorite commercials involve Ellen Degeneres.
Because the credit card company uses a celebrity endorsement, it employs vertical intertextuality. In order for someone to appreciate this commercial, he or she must first know who Degeneres is. A wildly successful comedienne and talk show host, Degeneres makes a point to be humorous but never make fun of people. To me, that is why she is so lovable. She always says that anyone can be funny by being mean or crude, but she is different because she can make anyone laugh with good, clean humor that is suitable for all ages.
Most everyone knows who Ellen is, so she is a successful endorser. Because of her notoriety, viewers can focus on the message of the ad instead of trying to figure out who that blonde lady is.
AmEx's use of Degeneres in their campaign is brilliant. Nearly everyone loves Ellen, thus the idea that nearly everyone will love AmEx prevails.
I love those Holiday Inn Express commercials. In their simplicity, they deliver a great selling point--that staying in one of their hotels will make their guests feel like they can do anything, like become a trainer for a basketball team.
These commercials are also successful because their slogans are so catchy.
About a year ago, my mom and dad were eating dinner with me. Before our meal came, my dad was asking my mom, a nurse, something about a really intricate medical procedure. It was obvious you would have to know something about medicine to be able to ask that sort of question, so I asked my dad how he knew so much about medicine since he was not a doctor. My mom quickly quipped, "he stayed at a Holiday Inn Express last night".
