Dumbledore is gay?

This summer, after a much anticipated wait, the 7th Harry Potter novel was finally released – “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.” Fans of the novels, written by J.K. Rowling, have followed Harry from his adolescence to his final face off against the evil Lord Voldemort.

Though the primary audience for the novels may be children or youth, even young adults and adults take interest in the stories. Even those who may not read the novels may have seen the Harry Potter movies that have come out. It’s hard to miss the reign of Harry Potter.

Those invested in the books are likewise invested in the characters in the books. They crave information regarding the details of the lives of Harry, Ron, Snape, and so on. That’s why when J.K. Rowling announced this week that master wizard Dumbledore is gay, people were shocked and surprised.

For many, the character of Dumbledore has a special place in their hearts. He is wise, kindhearted, and genuine. He provided guidance for Harry and his schoolmates as well as other wizards in the face of a wizarding war.

Rowling’s announcement was met with a mixture of criticism and support. However, many believe that the outing of Dumbledore will help to increase tolerance toward homosexuality. If people loved Dumbledore before they knew he was gay, why should they change their minds now?

I personally believe that Rowling was wise to withhold this information until the books had all been released, making Dumbledore’s sexuality a non-issue. While some may claim that her announcement was simply a way to generate more publicity for the franchise, I disagree. A careful analysis of the literature shows that Rowling appeared to know that the character was gay long before anyone else did.

In my opinion, her revelation is one that should be applauded. Announcing that Dumbledore is gay is a great way to stimulate conversation and introduce a gay character to a large audience.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071021/ap_en_ot/books_potter_dumbledore

Are PCs Becoming a Thing of the Past?

According to a recent article on MSNBC.com, personal computers may be a thing of the past, if the rest of the world follows Japan’s current trend of slowing personal computer sales. There are just too many other new products to choose from, and the issue of clutter continues. The new iPod Touch and other smart phones that act like pocket size computers are diminishing the need for personal computers.

The Japan technology market continually stays ahead of the curve, and their PC market is already shrinking. MSNBC.com reports that PC shipments in Japan have fallen for five consecutive quarters, the first drawn-out decline in PC sales in a key market, and analysts wonder whether Japan will become the first major market to see a decline in personal computer use, 25 years after it revolutionized household electronics.

Manufacturers of personal computers are aggressively marketing their products in places that have never had PCs, and outside Japan, Asia is a key growth area. They feel that computers are still crucial in linking the digital divide and are releasing laptops priced below $300 for the holidays.

While some have made the leap to checking their e-mail and downloading music and movies directly onto their cell phone, I am still loyally returning to my Mac everyday to check my e-mail and buy songs on iTunes. However, knowing that 50 percent of Japanese people send e-mail and browse the Internet from their cell phones, I know that I will probably soon be doing the same.

source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21624720/

Brrrring... It's Your Favorite Presidential Candidate

Ringtones, wallpapers, text messages; three things that many of us have and use on our cell phones all the time, but until recently, were not associated with political campaigns. Enter Obama Mobile, a site that Barack Obama's campaign introduced earlier this summer as an effort to utilize the power of the cell phone. 

On Obama Mobile, you can get ringtones featuring popular Obama quotes set to music and wallpapers of Senator Obama and his campaign logo. You can even sign up to receive text messages about the campaign and upcoming events. For those who truly live and die by their cell phones, Obama Mobile also offers text updates on specific issues such as healthcare, education and Iraq. 

While Hillary Clinton, John Edwards and Mitt Romney have also introduced text message updates, Obama is the only candidate that has an entire page on his website dedicated to mobile technology and is the only candidate that gives people the option to receive issue-specific text messages. With more and more people owning cell phones (especially those under the age of 30), text messages seem like a great way to keep people interested and informed about the campaign. 

The other aspect of Obama Mobile that is particularly interesting to me is its use of ringtones, since, so far, Obama's campaign is the only one to offer them.  I believe that candidate ringtones, if created and marketed properly, could be a great tool for creating buzz and increasing interest in a candidate, especially from people who do not traditionally vote. 

Imagine sitting at a bar and hearing your friends phone ring to the tune of Go Obama (see example below). At first you would probably chuckle to yourself, thinking about how much of a political nerd your friend is, but after that you're probably going to be curious as to what the heck that was. Your friend then has the perfect opportunity to talk to you about Obama and why they support him, which in turn could lead to you becoming interested in Obama and so on.  

Unfortunately, there is currently no real research on the use and effectiveness of political ringtones, though I hope to do some primary research on this emerging medium this spring for my thesis.

Here are few of the ringtones that Obama's campaign is currently offering:

Letter to Obama (Go Obama)

2004 DNC Speech - Hip Hop

2004 DNC Speech - Alternative

Obama’s Strategic Laugh

After calling Hillary Clinton a “textbook” candidate, Barack Obama takes another jab at his running mate in the opening sketch of Saturday's "Saturday Night Live."

The sketch of Saturday's broadcast featured actors Amy Poehler and Darrell Hammond, as the Clintons, hosting a Halloween party. Toward the end of the sketch a man walked in wearing an Obama mask — which he removed to reveal he was, indeed, Barack Obama.

"I have nothing to hide," Obama said. "I enjoy being myself. I'm not going to change who I am just because it's Halloween."

It wasn’t your best acting; however Senator Obama was strategically able to get this message across about Senator Clinton while gaining a few laughs at the same time. Due to Clinton’s considerable lead over Obama in the polls, I’m sure the Obama campaign has a few more tricks up their sleeves to get Obama some more national exposure.

Source:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071104/ap_on_el_pr/obama_snl_4;_ylt=AqNj2tir9glmhqIt8.ajAxvkbeRF

Take a look:
http://my.barackobama.com/snl

Writers on Strike

This week, Hollywood writers will go on strike. The Writers Guild of America (WGA), a labor union representing more than 12,000 TV and movie writers, has ordered the strike for 12:01 a.m. PT Monday. This strike will halt production of movies, and force TV stations to run repeats.

Screenwriters say, they are entitled to a bigger share of the royalty payments for the use of movies and TV shows on the Internet and handheld devices, and increases for sales of DVDs. The WGA also faults studios for getting non-guild writers to write character blogs, MySpace profiles, as well as video game, mobisode, and webisode spinoffs.

The online market is becoming an increasingly influential medium. It is the responsibility of studios to recognize the new media’s changing role in the entertainment industry.

Many believe, however, that this strike is a catch-22. The lack of new entertainment on TV will drive more people to watch programming online and as a result many Hollywood writers could move to the Internet.

Hopefully the entertainment industry, studios and writers alike will see that television series, movies and new media are no longer mutually exclusive--sooner than later.

Sources:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=15315098
http://newteevee.com/2007/10/25/what-does-a-wga-strike-mean-for-new-media/

Photo Source: http://www.elsanchez.com

Fallen Star?

Unless you’re living under a rock, you can’t miss all the drama surrounding the life of Britney Spears. Britney “sang” and danced her way into the hearts of millions of teenagers in 1998 when she became a teen pop phenomenon. In the nine years that have passed since then, Spears has experienced a number of highs and lows including two marriages (and two divorces) and the birth of her two children with her second husband, Kevin Federline.

Spears has been out of the music industry’s limelight for awhile now though. However, when she divorced Federline in 2006, she seemed poised for a comeback that many people (including myself) were impatiently waiting for. Britney’s comeback does not seem to be going as well as she probably planned. With an album set to debut on October 30th, there has been more talk about Britney’s personal life than her music.

From shaving her head to attacking paparazzi to losing custody of her children, Spears can’t seem to keep herself out of the media – not that she seems to care. While most stars strategically plan things in their personal lives to occur just prior to career moves in order to generate publicity, this doesn’t seem to be the case with Spears. While the adage in Hollywood is that “all publicity is good publicity,” Spears’ personal drama seems to be affecting her fan base and her credibility as a musician.

Luckily, her record label is still supporting Spears and her career - though it might not last much longer. Spears’ album is already getting negative reviews and her family and friends are encouraging her fans to boycott her album, a move they hope will wake Spears up to her failing personal life.

Spears has yet to realize how her actions are affecting her career, though it couldn’t be more obvious to bystanders. What Spears really needs is to take (another) break from the limelight to take care of her personal life. Until she can regain some composure, no one will take her seriously. When her album comes out, it will undoubtedly be overshadowed by whatever is going on in her own life that day. She needs to realize that sometimes in Hollywood, less exposure is more beneficial.


http://topics.edition.cnn.com/topics/britney_spears

Oprah’s School Scandal

Oprah has finally hit a spot in her career where she needs a little crisis communication.

Allegations surfaced two weeks ago that a "dorm parent" had been accused of fondling a girl and physically and verbally abusing several others, including grabbing them about the neck, beating them and hurling them against a wall at her Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa.

"I've disappointed you. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry," a tearful Winfrey told angry families who showed up for an emergency meeting at the Academy. “I trusted her," Winfrey told the families regarding the principal. "When I appointed her, I thought she was passionate about the children of Africa. But I've been disappointed."

A recent CNN poll asked the question “Oprah’s School Scandal: Will it tarnish her reputation?” 79 percent of the respondents said “No” while 21 percent said “Yes.” I would have to say that I agree that Oprah would have to do something utterly immoral before her reputation could ever be tarnished. This incident will only be a minor but important hurdle.

As for a crisis communication stand point, she’s doing the right thing. Oprah continues to maintain a reputation for having an overall “open and honest” policy with her publics at all times. “We don't blame you," a father was quoted as saying. "You have more passion for the school and its existence than anyone else in this country, including us parents."

Source:
http://tv.yahoo.com/contributor/30579/news/urn:newsml:tv.eonline.com:20071029:23d20729_b54a41fd_8e65_7a77b14e3914__ER:69381
http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/showbiz.tonight/index.html