The Daily Show with John Stewart: Getting People Informed Through Comedy

On Thursday, April 10, 2014, Jennifer Garner guest appeared on the “The Daily Show with John Stewart” to promote her new movie, “Draft Day.” I do not usually watch “The Daily Show with John Stewart,” but this particular night’s episode was more appealing to me as it appeared to be less political than most episodes. The main focuses for this particular night’s show were reviewing the ending of basketball’s March Madness, the new movie “Draft Day,” Stephen Colbert, and a short interview with Jennifer Garner.

The episode starts off humorous with a field flash to Stephen Colbert ‘in London, England’ outside the Royal castle. He makes light humor of a Prince Charles ‘gay’ scandal by saying that “it’s not gay, but aristocratic,” and while he is saying this, he’s basically peeling and deep throat-eating a banana. Both Stephen Colbert and John Stewart break out into an uncontrolled laughter that you would not normally see while watching a nightly news report. John Stewart tells the exciting news of not needing a cable subscription to watch Stephen Colbert anymore because he is now taking over David Letterman’s host position on “The Late Show” featured on one of the Big 6 companies- CBS.  David Letterman is now going into a well-earned retirement after many years of hosting.

Next, John Stewart drops into the topic of sports and discusses the latest news in March Madness and college basketball as the season wraps up. One particular discussion about this is college basketball players not having enough money to afford food everyday. John Stewart argues that it does not make sense how this could be, seeing as many of them play on well-known college basketball teams and they should have parents, teammates, friends, or fans be willing to help them out with supporting and supplying food to poor college players. Stewart then goes on to say that it really does not make sense knowing that March Madness is for charity, yet some of the college basketball players could use the charity for basic needs such as food. The show cuts to clips of other news broadcasting shows stating that college sports bring in about $11 billion dollars of revenue each year. The college student players of course do not see any of this money. He then discusses how the latest news says that college football players now have the right to unionize seeing as how they are technically college employees. The show again cuts to clips of other news reports showing that football coaches are upset about the change of making the players become employees of the college because the coaches would rather be ‘educators’ than employers. Either way, they are getting paid so it really does not matter in the end. Then, just to be funny, John Stewart shows a montage of coaches ‘coaching’ players, but the ‘coaching’ is just a series of clips showing coaches scream at and push around the players.

Next, John Stewart discusses ad campaigns for the coming election season. Among this, Obama Care is discussed in a humorous fashion by showing one candidates, Wil Brooke’s, ad campaign of him exercising his to his second amendment and shooting a paper copy of the Obama Care report. Then, the show immediately makes fun of it in its own parody video with lighting a copy of the Obama Care report on fire.

Finally, Jennifer Garner guest appears on the show after showing a small clip of her new film, “Draft Day.” Jennifer Garner and John Stewart discuss the new film and joke about Stephen Colbert. Jennifer tells John how she used to babysit for Stephen Colbert. They talk and joke some more about the film and Jennifer’s career until the show comes to an end.

I believe that the format of entertaining, comedic new broadcasts is beneficial to society because it is more likely to increase the amount of people who are informed of what is going on in the world. I believe that it is very beneficial for people because the use of comedy makes news much easier to take in and understand. It opens up a whole new audience of people to get informed. Although some of the information may appear to come across as biased, I really do not believe it is biased because it is being presented in such a comedic tone that you cannot necessarily take everything John Stewart says to heart. Take for example the cartoon South Park, many of their episodes are based around current events and although they do it in a comedic vulgar manner, people watching may find something on the show interesting and look more deeply into it, thus creating a larger area of informed people. The same goes for “The Daily Show with John Stewart,” information is presented in a quick and comedic tone which over views other news broadcasts and reports them with commentary. The fact of the matter is that- yes, news from around the world is being shared and more people are indeed getting informed. 

Product Placement in Workaholics

In last week’s episode of Comedy Central’s sitcom “Workaholics,’ the guys competed in a TelAmeriCorp basketball tournament to win a chance to borrow the company car and drive to Reno for a night. The episode titled, “The One Where the Guys Play Basketball and Do the Friends Title Thing” was first aired on April 2, 2014. The scene opens with the guys (Anders, Blake, and Adam) arriving to work and interrupting a basketball game in the middle of the parking lot. The boss, Alice, tells the boys that the telemarketing company they work for (TelAmeriCorp) is doing a three on three basketball tournament to promote good health. The winners of the tournament get to borrow the company car and go to Reno for a night. During this scene, it’s noticeable that the type of basketball being played with is a Spalding ball. Throughout the rest of the show, it is never directly talked about being a “Spalding” ball or even held in a way that you read again besides that one time in the beginning, so I would not call this an example of product placement. I believe that it was just the way the ball happened to turned at one point that made it brand readable. Another example of what may or may not be product placement seen in the first scene is the fact that the company car is a Dodge Dart. The guys go crazy over the fact that it is a Dodge Dart. Adam says that he’s asking his parents for a Dodge Dart for Christmas and starts humping the car. This may not be a direct case of product placement, but they not only show the Dodge Dart, the mention it frequently as well. Personally, I think the Dodge Dart is a nice car, but it is not really, truly anything to get that excited about. Also, seeing how “Workaholics” is a comedy show, they get excited over things with a sometimes, mocking sense. The also mention Ander’s car as “the Volvo,” which isn’t too specific because it is just an old Volvo. This is not a case of product placement; it’s more of just a quick brand mention.

During another scene while the guys are collaborating ways to win the tournament, Blake is holding up and drinking out of a “Hardee’s” fast food cup. He never mentions the Hardee’s fast food chain during the scene though.

Adam gets the idea to inject steroids as a way to win the tournament, while Anders decides to focus on the competition. One the competing team’s members, Lynette, used to be a women’s basketball pro who almost made it onto the Olympic team. Lynette has a little bit of a temper, so Anders comes up with the idea to say something to make her angry and get her to punch him in the stomach. He tapes an iPad to his stomach and tells Blake that she’ll be sure to break her hand because iPad’s are made with “helicopter windshields.” Here, he not only mentions the durability of an iPad, but he also displays it on the show (taped to his chest). This is the only time that the iPad is mentioned, and it is not even a specific example of which generation iPad it is. They don’t really talk about it, except when he says about how durable it is. I wouldn't necessarily call this product placement, but it definitely gave the iPad a more humorous use. By the way, Lynette ending up punching Anders in the face instead of the gut, which still broke her hand. So Ander’s plan worked and the opposing team was left without their star athlete.

During one of the final scenes, which occurs at the TelAmeriCorp basketball tournament in the TelAmeriCorp warehouse, shows the three on three teams getting ready for the game. Blake decided to leave the team and Adam was taken to the hospital for overdosing on “steroids” (which actually turned out to be PCP and energy drinks), so that left Anders alone to create a make-shift team with their drug dealer friend Karl and one of Karl’s friends who is good at basketball. While the group is strategizing, they’re huddled in a corner of the warehouse where boxes of Dyson Ball vacuum cleaners and boxes of Oxy Clean are stacked.  They never once mention the boxes or the brands, so I don’t think this was a case of product placement. I’m not too certain that any products besides the Dodge Dart could be considered product placement because the branded items are either never mentioned or just made fun of.

In the end, Ander’s team won the basketball tournament and the three guys drove off to Reno in the Dodge Dart after stealing Adam from the hospital. 

Penn State's Thon Dance Marathon and the Positive Influence on Local High Schools

Pennsylvania State University is becoming more and more well-known for its proud students and their charitable 46 hour dance party known as “Thon.” Thon has been known to raise millions of dollars for The Four Diamonds Fund, a charity that supports children’s hospitals in the hopes of curing cancer and helping families through difficult stages. Now, local high schools in the Berks County area are getting involved and creating their own “mini-thon” to raise money for the same important cause. Many of the high schools involved have raised thousands of dollars. This year, Penn State students raised $13,343,517.33 which broke their previous record.

The three articles I used for this blog are from Penn State University’s The Daily Collegian, The New York Times, and The Reading Eagle. Each article explains what Thon is and how it helps people locally and spreads hope nationally.

According to the article “THON 2014 raises $13,343,517.33 for the kids, breaks 2013 total” by Gabriella Santoliquito of The Daily Collegian (a newspaper that is published by Penn State University students), this was the 42^nd Penn State Interfraternity Council/Panhellenic Dance Marathon which over the years has raised over $101 million for children’s cancer at the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. Thon has become a way to show people how much people came do when they come together. It has become a way for students to raise money in a fun, upbeat college environment. It is part of what makes student “Penn State Proud.”

The New York Times wrote a similar article explaining what Penn State’s Thon felt like from a writer’s point of view. In the article, “Taking a Stand for 46 Hours” by Fred R. Conrad, he explains the emotions, hard work, and commitment students had during their 46 hour dance marathon. He explained that dancers participating in Thon had to stay awake for whole 46 hours, although they did not need to be dancing the entire time. Each dancer had to have a “morale” to be responsible for keeping the dancer at a healthy energy level and occasionally giving them “piggyback rides.” Among the dancers, there were thousands of other students, families, and children there to enjoy the party. Local bands headline the event and student organizations take turns cheering for their team members. Students say that it is an incredible experience that almost always brings them to tears. Families who have been affected by childhood cancer stand up on the stage to speak to the crowd of thousands, telling their own emotional stories and giving their appreciative thanks. It brings everyone together in the crowd and gives a spine chilling emotional break that makes everyone proud of what they have done. According to the article, it is considered a privilege to be a dancer at Thon. Conrad ends the article by saying, “The fact is, Thon probably has more to do with Penn State students than football does. They are not looking to make someone an all-star; they are doing charitable work. And it wasn’t just one student, it was thousands doing that." I personally agree and applaud the charitable work of these thousands of students.

On a more local note, high schools are getting involved with their own “mini-Thons” to help raise money by doing overnight dance marathons at the school. They basically do the same thing as the real Thon, only on a much, much smaller scale. According to the Reading Eagle’s article, “Mini-Thon at Wilson could raise $20,000” Wilson High School held its first ever mini-Thon with the goal of raising at least $10,000. Their mini-Thon, like Penn State’s Thon was held to raise money for the Four Diamonds Fund at Penn State Hershey Medical Center to help children with cancer. The high school had around 200 hundred students registered to spend the night dancing and playing games for 12 straight hours in the school’s gymnasium. Wilson High School ended up surpassing its goal of $10,000 and raised a total of $23,528 for the Four Diamonds Fund. According to the article, they are planning on doing another mini-Thon next school year with the hopes of raising even more.

I chose the topic of Thon because it was a recent event that really draws communities together. Many of the high schools in the local area have been getting involved. I personally was able to stop by Wyomissing High School’s mini-Thon to check out the activities. It’s a great way to bring people together and raise money for an important cause. 

Hard work appreciation vs. comparative facts

On the front cover of Saturday's (February 15, 2014) Reading Eagle, there's an article entitled "Living in a Snow Globe" by Keith Mayer. The article discusses the overwhelming snow fall we've experienced in the past few weeks and compares it to previous winters. Although this article is very informative, interesting, and comparative; it's missing one important thing: the people who remove all the snow. Located on page B3 of the newspaper, is an article entitled "19 crews clearing city streets, bridges" by an unspecified author. This article goes into detail about all the hardworking crews who working around the clock to clear snow from the streets of Reading and make the city easier to travel. However, one point in the article explains how people are shoveling snow from their sidewalks into the street and causing more work. I thought this article was more important than the front page article because it's about the hard work that's going into the city to remove the snow instead of just talking about how much snow we've gotten and comparing it to past winters. Snow removal workers have been given a lot of work this season, so I think it's important to recognize them for all they do for the roads. After all, it's because of them that we can drive around safely this winter.

City of Ice

In Friday's (February 7, 2014) issue of The Reading Eagle, there was one article in particular that stood out to me: ice and snow removal. The article entitled "Laws on ice, snow removal taken with a grain of salt" by Steven Henshaw can be found in the Berks & Beyond section on page B5. Henshaw's article discusses how the city of Reading's slick sidewalks are affecting its residents and what's being done to clean up.

With the recent winter storms hitting one after another, it seems as though we barely have time to clean up the first mess before the next one arrives. With Thursday's ice storm, all of the snow that came down became covered in sheets of ice, making it difficult to clear away. Slippery sidewalks are becoming a lawsuit waiting to happen, so code enforcers are traveling around the city and giving notices/warnings to those who need to clean their parts of the sidewalk. One enforcer is quoted saying that, "We've had a hard time this year. People don't seem to want to shovel for some reason." Now seriously, who actually WANTS to shovel? The problem in Reading is that many homes are rented and the landlord is said to be responsible for clearing the snow in the many cases reported. However, the city is said to have been very permissive about the issue. Henshaw interviews a few residents who were out walking and they complained of the time it's taking them to get from one place to another due to the necessary walking precautions. One man was interviewed as he was shoveling the ice away with a flat head digging shovel. Apparently, the trick is to first apply salt and then pick away at it.

Although I'm from a more suburban area 15 minutes away, I am no stranger to the city of Reading. I've worked downtown for many years and this has by far been the worst year for weather. Luckily, the Downtown Improvement District employs people to remove snow in the more central areas. However, many of the residential areas remain a slippery mess. It's something I always wondered about- how does snow removal work in a city? Apparently not very well (according to this article). I used to hear stories in the news about people getting shot at after taking someone else's shoveled out parking space. People are crazy as it is, and the snow just brings out the extra crazy.

People need to just keep in mind that we're all in the same situation when it comes to the weather. We all have to deal with it some way, and shoveling a small part of the sidewalk (if you're able to) is just a common courtesy. Below freezing temperatures and ice storms, however; are just pure evil pouring over the city and making life more difficult... and annoying.

Thoughts on "Shifts and Changes"

In the world of today, there's one thing that controls nearly all of us: media. Social media especially- if you don't engage in social media, you are nearly a ghost to everyone else who does. Or as some people say, "I don't know what happened to her. She deleted her facebook and fell off the face of the Earth." Now, that's a rough thing to say, but social media is how people keep in touch. Everyone has become so engrossed in their own lives that people keep in touch with and make new friends via sharing images and posting statuses about their daily thoughts. Everything we do has become media and we have essentially become zombies engrossed in consuming the everyday information of our so-called friends online. Take a look back a year or two ago when a woman walked right into a fountain at a local mall in Reading, Pa while studying her cell phone- she basically zombie face-planted herself into YouTube history once the surveillance film was released.

All in all, the idea is that it's nice to take a break and breathe in the scenery around you once in awhile. With all the technology constantly changing and becoming a NECESSITY for everyday life, we need to keep in mind how to be humans.

Intro

My name is Jessica Frederick and this blog is intended for a mass communication class during the spring semester of 2014 at Kutztown University in Kutztown, Pennsylvania. I am currently at the end of my senior year and I will be graduating with a B.A. in English Professional Writing.