Hollywood

Social Media And The Entertaining Allure of Voyeurism /  by Roxanne Teti

You are in the midst of your mundane morning commute and suddenly you find yourself engulfed in the bright lit screen of your smart phone. No, you’re not reading the news, or even checking work emails, but instead you find yourself “lurking” on Facebook, perhaps glazing over the “Timeline” of some random girl you “used to know” from high school. You’re not truly friends with this person nor have you engaged in direct communication with her in six years but yet you’re intrigued to “stalk” her for a moment or two. Perhaps it’s her recent engagement photos that piqued your interest or maybe you're curious if her fiancé is hot or just an "average Joe”. Regardless, we often gravitate towards this voyeuristic activity because it’s easily accessible entertainment.

In the 1970’s a wave of feminist film theorists like Laura Mulvey drew from Freud and Lacan’s psychoanalytic concepts concerning the erotic pleasure experienced by the act of “looking” and related this "visual pleasure" to the dominance of the “male gaze” in the cinematic art form. Personally, I believe regardless of whether the act of “looking” achieves sexual excitement, the voyeuristic intrigue of “watching” is a crucial cornerstone in which the various mediums of art, entertainment, and media have been built upon from the beginning of civilization. 

From the roar of audiences cheering on gladiators as they fight to their death at the Roman colosseum to Hollywood's “Golden Age”, human beings are inherently drawn to spectatorship. Today with various social media channels and digital content readily available within seconds, we're constantly participating in an active state of spectatorship as well as exhibitionism, as we provide a window into our personal lives through various social media platforms. In a way individuals can achieve a particular status distinction within the social stratification of their own network depending on the popularity of one's account. 

When reality television gained momentum in the late-90’s/early 2000’s, the line between reality and performance became irreversibly blurred. As platforms such as Facebook gained as many users and thus viewers as traditional mass media, a similar ambiguity between reality and the façade of reality began to permeate into the seemingly more “personal” channels of social media. 

And yes, perhaps we enjoy being spectators but I encourage you to truly ask yourself—do you also enjoy being the “performer”, the subject of one’s private gaze, an exhibitionist merely used for cheap reality TV entertainment by Facebook “friends” or even strangers?  

The Profit Turning and Controversial Nature Of Religious Content /  by Roxanne Teti

The Passion (2016), FOX

Until it's "time" for a holiday season, we rarely discuss the religious genre of film and TV, despite its origins dating back to the beginning of Hollywood's inception. From the classic movie, The Ten Commandments (1956) to the fantastical Christian allegorical trilogy, The Chronicles of Narnia (2005-2010), the genre has repeatedly realized mainstream success while often generating significant controversy with the public. In most recent years, Darren Aronofsky’s Noah (2014) grossed over $362 million worldwide but received backlash from leaders of the Christian, Jewish, and Muslim institutions as many were offended by his interpretation of the biblical story. We also can recall the box office success of Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ, which grossed 611.9 million with a modest 30 million dollar production budget. This film, much more so than Noah, provoked an intense controversial response as some believed the film was "anti-semitic". When analyzing a filmic genre that not only appeals to a widespread audience but also instigates the deeply rooted polemic issues of history is a particularly interesting cultural paradox to grapple even for the entertainment industry. 

Today, although society has evidently become more secularized, faith based films or TV shows still hold the potential to become “revenue generating” productions with significant viewership. For example, in 2013, The Bible, a 10-part miniseries that unfolds the story of “Genesis to Revelation”, attracted over 100 million viewers—turning the “The History Channel” into one of the most watched cable networks according to Nielsen ratings. More recently, the movie Heaven Is For Real (2014), based on a “New York Times Best Seller”, grossed 103 million, and even God’s Not Dead (2014), a film with a sloppy storyline and poor acting earned a surprising $57 million.

Netflix is also recognizing the profit turning potential of the religious genre, as it will be “eternally” streaming Tyler Perry’s The Passion, a musical that presents a modern day spin on Jesus Christ's last days on earth. Before the production makes it way to Netflix, it will follow the traction earned by Grease’s recent TV movie in January by airing live on FOX during the evening of Palm Sunday (March 20th). In addition, the musical will be filmed at various locations around the city of New Orleans, Perry’s hometown. Executive Producer, Adam Anders, describes the show as “ a timeless story everyone can relate to” featuring familiar songs by popular artists like Seal and Chris Daughtry. The Passion, in ways, sounds like a reminiscent revival of the 1973 rock opera, Jesus Christ Superstar. However, Perry is no stranger to producing, directing, and starring in films with religious messaging.

Andrew Lloyd Webber's classical opera - Jesus Christ Superstar (1973 Version)

Regardless of whether a filmic interpretation of a pious icon is “accurate” or receives “backlash” from the various parties involved in the "old as time" argument concerning who is “right”, it seems evident, by proof of ratings or box office numbers, that the masses are intrigued. People are still seeking to identify with some origin of faith regardless of how fragmented religious communities have become in the past 50 years. It appears the challenge lies in how to approach the subject with respect, thus not pushing an ulterior agenda that has the potential to further exacerbate the war on or between religions. 

Women Can Be Funny-The Rise of Female Comedy /  by Roxanne Teti

Kristen Wiig, NBC Universal

In Hollywood, it’s common knowledge that women are grossly underrepresented in influential roles in front and behind the camera. In particular, the genre of comedy has always been dubbed a “man’s game", regardless if a woman possessed the talent to be “funny”. However, in the past five years, with trailblazers, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, leading the way, a growth of female comedians have hit the mainstream (like Lena Dunham, Mindy Kaling, Kristen Wiig, Amy Schumer, and Melissa McCarthy, to name a few of the A-listers). Even Broad City’s “left of center” dynamic duo, Abbi and Ilana, are receiving critical praise for their original content in which cultivates organic humor by redefining the "absurd" as the norm.

Nevertheless, we are experiencing an exciting surge of female driven comedy, with gags and jokes appealing to the amusing taste buds of both men and women. In particular, Jessica Williams’ performances on the Daily Show and Kate McKinnon’s versatile portfolio of iconic impersonations on SNL have permeated the digital channels of social media and online streaming services. For example, McKinnon’s Calvin Klein Ad/Justin Bieber impression received over 6.7 million views on YouTube and more recently her Close Encounters skit topped that number with almost 14 million views. McKinnon’s description of her alien abduction was so hysterical, Ryan Gosling, a man, could barely keep it together.

Comedy relies not only on the construction of a joke or the nuances of a particular impersonation but also the intelligence of the comedian and his or her ability to assess the boundaries of what's funny or too personal, especially when involving politics. As a comedian, you have to be witty, well read, and up to date on which relevant current events could be a potential incubator for humor to thrive. Long story short, these women are not only pretty faces, they are also super smart. So in honor of Women’s History Month, I want to celebrate Hollywood’s funniest ladies with a few clips from the most ridiculous “rolling on the floor laughing” skits by women in 2015. 

Oscars So White-What Can We Learn? /  by Roxanne Teti

There’s been a lot of talk about diversity or lack there of shall I say regarding the Oscar nominations. The definition of diverse is of different kind, of varying types. Sadly enough society is attracted to sameness and encourages conformity because that's how it thrives—the social machine is inherently opposed to anything or anyone “different”. Because of power distinctions, people and/or institutions consciously and subconsciously desire to uphold the “status quo”. One’s actions or lack of actions can often become motivated by fear of change—as change can threaten the “status quo”. This is the unfortunate reality of what deters social progress and perpetuates inequality, especially if we are discussing cinema as an art form and industry operating within the profit centric realm of capitalism. Nevertheless, here’s the wake up call—underrepresentation of minorities and women not only exists in Hollywood, but also in other industries such as technology. For example, in the film industry women made up only 13% of the director positions on movies that achieved theatrical release in 2015. In “tech” women held only 14% of executive positions in 2015. 

Before we point fingers and accuse the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for being racist or solely responsible for the Oscars being “so white”, I urge you to look at the big picture—as the Oscars, an annual American awards ceremony for film, is a mere byproduct of a deeper rooted problem with Hollywood and America at large. Since the beginning of our nation’s inception, institutionalized racism was fully initiated by the physical and psychological chains of slavery. And for centuries, African Americans have been fighting for freedom and equality—battling against social stigmas that fueled segregation and the unjust legal barriers that prohibited blacks the right to vote. To make matters worse, for decades of TV and film history, African Americans were often depicted “on screen” as superficial stereotypes of inferior people in background roles. And yes, over time civil rights amendments have been enforced, and social progress has been achieved, but implicit inequality (the social psychological repercussions) continues to pervade our society as a negative symptom of years of disenfranchisement and marginalization. 

So how can we, as a society, learn from “Oscars So White” without polarizing the issue of race and driving a deeper divide between black and white? Adding more diversity to the Academy’s voter composition may or may not help. I certainly don’t believe firing or vilifying current members is the right approach in addressing a greater issue at hand. I think change starts with creating more opportunities for minorities in front and behind the camera. It begins with gaining diverse representation amongst studio executives and the creators of content. In a recent article discussing this Oscar controversy, Dr. Todd Boyd, a former professor of mine at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts, said “there can't be many nominees until people are given the opportunity in prominent, meaningful roles”. Let's get the “movers and shakers” involved; after all, they create the films the Academy nominates.